


Fortuna Tu

by Soap_Lady



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Felinette if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22338871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soap_Lady/pseuds/Soap_Lady
Summary: When Felix's mom hires Marinette to design outfits for a gala, he's not expecting for Amelie to decide to mentor the young designer. She's very talented and could prove to be an important company asset. Now if his mother will just stop her matchmaking schemes...
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Graham de Vanily
Comments: 167
Kudos: 682





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> And here it is! My second Miraculous Ladybug fic. This story contains a grain or two of salt and mentions of a past death so TW for those who need them.

The elevator ride to his mother’s suite was tense. Marinette insisted on pressing herself against the opposite wall to avoid him as much as possible. He would have found it amusing any other time but his mother had asked him specifically to “make a good impression” on the young designer. That was difficult when she refused to acknowledge him in any way.

Felix kept stealing looks at her despite himself. He didn’t  _ want  _ to find any of his cousin’s friends attractive but he did. She wasn’t a classical beauty like his mother but she was rather pretty in a quiet sort of way. 

He thought it was clever of her to wear one her own designs to meet his mother. The dress she wore was an A-line navy dress with two pink flowers; one larger than the other, with black vines and a stylized “M” in a pink circle with a black outline. The pink cardigan was the same color as the flowers. Was this pattern a trademark of her design? It was very eye-catching.

She wore her hair in a bun with decorative cherry blossom clip and the whole ensemble said, “I am a professional, yet creative.” If it weren’t for her stiff posture and nimble fingers drumming against the pink portfolio she was carrying, he wouldn’t have known she was nervous.

“Don’t worry,” he muttered as the elevator chimed and the door opened. “Nothing to be afraid of. My mom is looking forward to meeting you.”

“I’m not afraid!” the girl squeaked.

It was all the blond could do to not roll his eyes. “No, of course not. Excuse me, Princess.”

She glared at him, the look of anger in her bluebell eyes seemed oddly familiar. “Don’t. Call me Princess. You haven’t earned the right.”

She stalked out ahead of him and into the hallway. Surprised he asked,” and what exactly would I have to do to call you that, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng?”

“Save me from at least a dozen akumas and  _ maybe  _ I’ll let you call me ‘Duchess’,” she spoke over her shoulder, leaving Felix to ponder what she meant.

Even with her head start he reached his mother’s door before she did and the ravenette stood aside while he knocked politely, waiting for a response before entering.

“Come right in!” Amelie called.

Felix opened the door, Marinetted followed at a safe distance. His mother was sitting in the living room in what she called her “lounging clothes”; wide-legged trousers and a scalloped top. Her eyes alighted on the young girl and she stood up, arms outstretched.

“Marinette! It  _ is  _ Marinette, is it not?” Amelie clasped her hands on the ravenette’s shoulders as she kissed the girl on both cheeks. “I’ve heard  _ so  _ many good things about you from my son and dear Adrien. Even Gabriel liked your hat design! Tell me, is it true Audrey Bourgeois herself offered to take you to New York to train you as a designer? How exciting! And you turned it down? Rather sensible, if you ask me. You’re  _ far  _ too young to go overseas without your parents.”

Her questions were coming out so fast all Marinette could manage was, “Er...thank you, Mme. Graham de Vanily.”

Amalie laughed and sat down, patting the seat beside her. Felix sat further down so he and his mother could sit on either side of their guest. He was sure his mother did it on purpose to make the young girl feel outnumbered.

“Please, Amalie.  _ Madame  _ is just so formal and I want us to be friends.” Mom’s smile was warm and welcoming; making the girl’s tension slowly ease. Marinette smiled up at his mom and set her portfolio on the skirt of her dress.

“Amalie it is.”

His mother turned towards her guest so their knees touched. “I understand you brought along a few sketches for me to see? Usually I’d just ask Gabriel to whip up something for me but with Emilie’s disappearance and our recent estrangement I didn’t feel comfortable asking for a favor.” She shrugged. “It’s unfortunate but  _ c’est la vie.” _

“Yes...Amalie…” the girl opened her portfolio and brought out her sketchbook. She opened it to a random page and reluctantly handed the book to her hostess. “These are a few of my past designs, but I wanted to meet with you and get a sense of your personal style before sketching something for you specifically.” She smoothed her skirt and clasped her hands together. “Um...Felix said something about a gala?” 

“A children’s charity gala, to be precise,” Amalie leafed through the pages, impressed with what she saw. “My husband and I used to attend every year. This is my first time attending after my husband…” she trailed off and Marinette cleared her throat, uncomfortable.

“Did you...have a color scheme in mind?” The young designer asked.

“Well…” Amalie pulled herself out of her memories and pondered the question, still staring at the sketches. “Black is a standard color for evening wear but I’ve been wearing it  _ so  _ much this year and it just depresses me.”

She looked sad and the ravenette rushed to console her. “Then you shouldn’t wear it!” She waved her hands in front of her as if to push her hostess’ melancholy away. “If you want something that respects your husband’s memory but is a bit more cheerful, how do you feel about grey?”

Amalie looked confused but Marinette showed her some examples on her phone. “I’m thinking...a dove grey would look lovely on you...maybe in silk. How do you feel about an embroidered silk bodice and a bell skirt with an embroidered tulle overlay?”

Marinette didn’t wait for her client to answer her but took her sketchbook back, grabbed a pencil from her portfolio and began to sketch. Amalie just watched, first with bemusement, then with a growing excitement as the gown began to take shape.

Felix hid a smile behind his hand as the young girl’s tongue stuck out as she concentrated. Her eyes glowed with excitement as her face took on an almost beatific smile. 

**_This_ ** _ is the girl his cousin ignored in favor of an unattainable superheroine or an emotionally distant fencer? Adrien’s an idiot...not that  _ **_I’m_ ** _ interested but this is as excited as I’ve seen Mom since Dad died. _

Amalie was practically bouncing in her seat when Marinette showed her the rough sketch. “Oh! I  _ adore _ it! And you came up with it so quickly! What an amazingly creative young woman you are!”

The ravenette blushed as if on cue. “It’s just a first draft. I can refine it of course, or change the color...maybe the neckline?”

“Yes, well, a deep ‘V’ might seem a bit inappropriate for a widow,” Amalie agreed. “What about a bateau neck instead?”

“Of course!” Marinette made the necessary adjustments and Amalie seemed pleased.

The girl closed her sketchbook and put it back in her portfolio. She checked her phone and shot up. “I didn’t realize how late it was!” She raced halfway to the door and then returned to her hostess. “I’m really sorry but I promised my parents I’d be home at a certain time. Tell you what’ I’ll refine my design and bring back the final one for your approval. Then I can take your measurements and get started on the dress.”

She started to leave again when Amalie called out, “Wait, Marinette! We haven’t discussed payment!” She named a sum that made the girl’s eye bulge out of her head. 

“T-That’s!”

“A bit low for an evening gown, dear, but since you’re an unknown, you’ll need to prove yourself to me first. If this dress is successful, any other clothing you design for me will be  _ much  _ closer to the current market value.”

“Does...this include the cost of materials?” Marinette dared to ask and both mother and son nodded in approval.

“No indeed, and you’re very clever to think of that,” her client told her. “Now...for today…” she handed the girl a check and the ravenette staggered.

“I...wow!”

“Oh, darling, that’s a standard consultation fee for this sort of project,” Amalie frowned at her. “ _ Never  _ undersell your value or skill, my dear. People will either take advantage of your inexperience or devalue what you have to offer. Plus!” The tall blonde added, “raising your commission fees will ensure you won’t be overloaded with more work than you can handle. You’re still in school after all and that should come first. Also, I would recommend you limit your commission slots to say...six at most until summer.”

Marinette gave her a grateful smile. “That’s very good advice, I’ll remember that.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Felix stood and opened to door, indicating the young designer should go first.

“You don’t have to!” Marinette protested but Amalie overruled her.

“Yes, he does. I raised my son with proper manners so he should always escort a lady as far as the elevators.” The woman’s tone was gentle and firm.

Amalie stood and once again kissed her guest on both cheeks. “ _ Au revoir  _ for now, my dear,” I hope to hear from you soon.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Amalie,” Marinette replied and walked stiffly beside Felix to the elevator.

*****

“Your mom is very nice,” she said as she pushed the button.

“So you must be wondering what went wrong with  _ me,”  _ Felix’s tone was much more sarcastic without his mother as an audience. 

The girl shrugged. “Well, at least you admit it.” She looked at him and her grin was saucy. “You’re a smart guy. I bet you could be nice too if you wanted to be.”

He refused to allow himself to be charmed by her. “And what makes you think I would be nice to you?”

“I don’t!” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She gave him a cheery wave. “Good bye!”

*****

When Felix returned to his suite his mother was doing a happy little dance all by herself. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “So, I take it you’re pleased with your new designer?”

“Oh, Felix! I  _ love  _ her!” Amalie did a perfect pirouette and hugged her son. “Thank you so much for introducing me! She’s  _ darling!”  _

His mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She smiled at him as if he’d given her a puppy. And a pony. And then an island.

“Mom,” he said with fond exasperation, “you’re going to make that girl your new project, aren’t you?”

“How could I not?” she demanded. “If you found an uncut diamond in the mud or a rare flower among the weeds, what would you do?”

He shrugged. “I’d have the diamond cut and polished and cultivated the flower, of course.”

“Exactly!” The blonde hugged her son again. “I’m going to offer her an internship with the wardrobe department at Graham Films. We must assist excellence along whenever we can. Besides, we can’t let Garbriel get his hands on that sweet girl.” She chewed on her thumb thoughtfully, then said, “He’d strip her of anything unique, then turn her into a miniature of himself. A terrible fate for an imaginative, talented girl like that!”

Amalie’s face turned mischievous. “And honestly, Felix, can you resist stealing yet  _ another  _ precious thing from Gabriel Agreste?”

_ And Adrien as well but I’m hardly to blame if he can’t see what’s in front of him.  _ Felix thought but didn’t say. He grinned up at his mother. “No, Mom. I really can’t.”

His mother laughed at said, “In the not too distant future that dear child is going to be the most sought after designer in the world. Oh, sure,” she waved a hand, “she’d be a success in the world of  _ haute couture  _ but someone that creative c _ ould  _ be making exquisite works of art for film.” She sighed happily. “Imagine, darling...my little protege’s designs...immortalized forever!”

Amalie was off in her own little world but Felix was so happy to see her involved in something. Anything that wasn’t taking care of him or mourning his father. She was also a shrewd woman with an eye for talent and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was gifted.

“If it makes you happy, Mom, by all means, mentor Marinette.” He smiled warmly at his mother.

“She’s a bit shy and humble,  _ too _ humble for our line of work.” Amalie’s expression became thoughtful. “Poor dear needs a bit of self-esteem and confidence. Something I think working with us could provide.”

_ With _ us, not  _ for _ us, he noted. He saw the way his mother was looking down at him. There was a gleam in her eyes and he had a gut feeling he knew what she was planning.

“Mom, no. I love you and would do almost anything to make you happy but no.”

She pouted at him. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

Felix crossed his arms and huffed. “Yes, I do. You want me to romance Marinette so you can keep her.”

“Well, it isn’t as if her parents would let us adopt her, darling,” she told him. “I want to keep that level of raw talent in the Graham de Vanily family, not the Agreste.”

He couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Mom, Adrien isn’t interested in her. In fact, he called her his ‘very good friend’. “

Amalie gasped. “He didn’t!”

“He did.”

She shook her head. “Gabriel has been a horrible influence on that boy. Imagine! Ignoring a rare blossom like that. I can’t imagine what Emelie would say. Well, his loss,” she lamented. She grinned wickedly at her son. “Now, Felix, I saw the way you were looking at that girl when you thought she couldn’t see you. There’s a spark there,” she teased.

Felix sighed and gave up. He couldn’t reason with her when she got an idea in her head. He could only hope she’d grow bored and settle for mentoring the girl and not arranging his marriage.

“I’ll be nice to her, but I’m not dating her. And I’m not interested in marrying her or anyone else any time soon.”

Amalie ruffled his hair gently. “As you wish, my darling boy.” 

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelie and Marinette bond while Felix refuses to get attached.

_Those females are going to be the end of me._

The Grand Gauguin Gala was a month and a half away. The designer had all the measurements she needed and fine dupioni silk fabric and thread from the wardrobe department of Graham Films. The girl had made excellent progress on the embroidery (even Felix was impressed with her skill.) Unless something catastrophic happens between now and the event, Dupain-Cheng would be finished with time to spare.

That was until his mother had the brilliant idea to have her little protege create a matching suit for him and a coordinating dress for the young girl. Marinette tried to protest that she wouldn’t be attending and therefore didn’t need a dress but his mother had quickly shut her down.

“Nonsense, dear!” Amalie told her. “Working with you on this gown has been a wonderful collaboration and the _perfect_ antidote for my doldrums.” Amalie brushed a nonexistent bit of lint off Marinette’s shoulder. “Besides, I consider myself your mentor now. Not only is wearing your own designs the perfect way to receive free advertising from the press, this is a small event and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk to fellow designers and possible investors.” The blonde smoothed the girl’s hair. “Think of it as...Baby’s First Networking Party.”

Oh for heaven’s sake his mother was _grooming_ the girl like a primate bonding ritual. No doubt the next step would be sleepovers and spa days. He was grateful for air pods and online chess matches.

“Oh! Business cards!” Amalie giggled. He was pleased she was so happy but sometimes he caught her looking at him with a calculating gleam and knew she was already naming her future grandchildren.

“I made a mockup!” The young designer showed his mother her idea. It was her familiar two pink flowers with the black vines and leaves and the pink circle with the black edging but now instead of just an “M” there was now the letters “MDC”.

“MDC for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” The girl said modestly. “I wanted something simple but elegant and easy to remember.”

“My clever, clever girl!” The blonde clasped her hands. “The flowers are _very_ clever branding and using just your initials? Easy to remember but...mysterious as well. _Everyone_ will be wondering ‘Who is MDC? A man? A woman? A pair?’ Who knows?” Amalie laughed in delight. “We’ll keep them guessing for as long as we can, won’t we, my dear?”

The ravenette was both embarrassed and flattered by all the attention and praise and looked at Felix hopefully. He was sure she wanted him to rescue her or at least change the subject. He decided to throw her an olive branch.

“Marinette probably won’t want to attend the Gala since _I’m_ attending with you, Mom,” he spoke up. He sighed and tried to look regretful. “She doesn’t like me after all.”

_Was that a thorn branch instead? Whoops._

Amalie pouted at both of them. “Really? Still? I’m surprised at the two of you. Letting that silly prank stand in the way of becoming friends. You’re both such smart, talented children. I’m sure you’d be the _best_ of friends if you allowed yourselves.” She crossed her arms. “I think it’s high time you let it go.”

His mother could wield guilt like a sabre and he found himself making mental notes.

“Felix, you have a chance to make a fresh start in Paris and make some friends your age. Adolescence is _such_ a lonely time, it would be easier with some companionship.”

He was unable to look his mom in the eye and she moved on to Marinette.

“My sweet girl, I know how prickly my son can be. He’s a bit like a kitten; he can hiss and be hostile to those he doesn’t like. To be honest, he used to be a biter.”

“Mom!” he cried out, embarrassed.

Amalie continued as if he hadn’t spoken.”But trust me when I tell you; underneath that animosity and cold demeanor is a caring, lonely boy. You would be a _very_ good influence on my son and the best of friends.”

The two teens looked at each other remorsefully. He didn’t want to be the first to reach out but he didn’t have to. Marinette decided to be the bigger person and offered him her hand. “She’s right. I’m letting a bad first impression keep me from getting to know you and I’m sorry.” There was honest regret and perhaps a bit of hope in her eyes. “Truce?”

His first instinct was to ignore her hand or knock it away. He didn’t _want_ to like her. She was attractive and her kindness and sincerity _seemed_ genuine but past experience taught him people were rarely good-hearted for the sake of it. She was being nice for the sake of her future career but at least she was forthright about it, unlike some of his former classmates.

Amalie was still looking at them both expectantly so he allowed himself a small smile and graciously shook the girl’s hand.

“Truce. Until after the Gala, anyway,” his mother frowned but he couldn’t resist needling this girl. “After that, all bets are off.”

_Until summer anyway, when you’ll be interning at my family’s company. I’ll do what I can to avoid you whenever possible._

To his surprise, the girl didn’t take offense. In fact she laughed and then dropped her hand. “Well, I appreciate your honesty, Felix. I’ll try to make the next six weeks as painless as possible.

  
  


*****

_Painless, she said. Painless my great-aunt Sophie._

The pig-tailed girl wasn’t at his suite every day, just once or twice a week. She always greeted him politely, asked about his day and his new school but other than a few pleasantries and some friendly smiles, she left him alone.

His mother was the problem.

Mom had insisted on buying a sewing machine, embroidery machine, and a Serger so the girl could work on their Gala clothing in the Graham de Vanily’s suite. The bodice of his mother’s gown was hand-embroidered while the skirt could be done via machine. This meant his two tormentors had more time to bond.

Marinette had gently changed the subject whenever his mother brought up embarrassing childhood stories (especially any involving Adrien) so Amalie contented herself to stories involving her and her twin’s adolescent shenanigans.

“And then the next thing I knew, poor Gabriel went flying over the bicycle’s handlebars and _right_ into my grandmother’s lily pond!” His mother giggled to her guest. Marinette was laughing so hard she had to turn off the embroidery machine. “She didn’t speak to him for _weeks_ and threatened to cancel their engagement!”

“I...never...thought...I’d feel sorry for M. Agreste!” The girl gasped for breath then looked over at Felix. “I’m sorry, are we being too loud?”

He shrugged and went back to his homework, grateful for his skill at multitasking.

The pig-tailed girl finally caught her breath. “It must have been great having a twin sister growing up,” she said. She waved her hands. “Not just for the usual twin tricks but having someone who understood you. I would have loved having someone to play with. My parents are great, but it could be a little lonely sometimes.”

“Well, Emelie was a bit of a clothes hog, so I hated sharing outfits with her,” his mother confessed. “Still, she had a wonderful instinct for putting an _ensemble_ together. I miss that.”

Amalie looked pensive so Marinette launched into a story from _her_ childhood; how her Nonna Gina had taken her to a Jagged Stone concert when she was five years old and the girl had become an instant fan. She talked about how she could never have a pet living in a bakery but once she moved out she planned on getting a hamster and naming it...Jean-Claude?

The girl brought over pastries and _macarons_ , declaring them to be the best in Paris. He reluctantly agreed but frowned when he saw she’d included passionfruit. She looked troubled but he ate all the mocha and mandarin cookies and said the two flavors were his favorite. The next time she brought over treats she included a new macaron she’d created herself and called it “chocolate orange.”

_Merde,_ the girl effortlessly charmed a savvy business woman like his mother and if he’d allowed it, she would no doubt seduce him as well. No, bad choice of word. Beguile, perhaps.

Despite himself he resented the fact that she was always formal around him, choosing to save all her shy warmth and awkward charm for his mother. He felt left out and ignored; like a cat who would snarl at anyone who tried to pet it but would still lie on an open book if someone was trying to read it. The bakery girl made him feel confused and he didn’t like it.

Felix began to try to engage her in conversation; what inspired her to aspire to become a designer, what her school was like, if someone wanted to start listening to Jagged Stone, what album is the best introduction.

She was reluctant at first but eagerly answered that she was inspired by his uncle initially but also found inspiration from other designers, history, even Paris herself.

Her shoulders dropped when she talked about her classmates. Someone named Lila Rossi was causing problems; luring her friends away with false promises. She’d nearly gotten Marinette expelled and the ravenette swore the Italian girl was trying to undermine his cousin’s relationship with Tsurugi. _He_ didn’t care but the pig-tailed girl did. “And Alya had the nerve to call _me_ jealous.”

Felix remembered the video he’d erased where his companion had sweetly declared her love and support for Adrien. He still wasn’t sorry; he’d probably spared the girl the pain of a public rejection. Or the idiot would think Marinette was talking about the love of a friend and ignore the confession.

“No offense,” _full offense_ , “but your friends sound pretty gullible. I can’t imagine turning my back on people I’ve known for years or my best friend on the word of someone I barely know.”

She didn’t disagree. “It hurts when they don’t believe me or dismiss me for being jealous of Lila,” she sighed. She looked angry for a minute and he fell silent until he continued. “They didn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt, just asked for proof. Ha! Lila didn’t need proof when she lied about knowing all these celebrities. And everyone forgets I arranged a date between Kagami and Adrien at the ice rink. I wouldn’t have done that if I were ‘just jealous’” She made air quotes with her fingers.

That made him curious. “Then...why did you if you had feelings for my cousin?”

She played with one of her pigtails and grinned sheepishly. “Because I’m clearly a moron who cared more about helping someone with _his_ crush than my own.” She smiled at him and yet again he wanted to kick his cousin in the shins. “That and I can’t stop tripping over my own words.” He raised his eyebrows in question and she elaborated. “He was asking me for advice about her and I called her the Ice Queen. Then I corrected myself to ‘ice rink’ and they, me, and my friend Luka ended up going on a double date.” She cringed. “It was going pretty well until I let go of Luka’s hand and crashed into a wall.”

_Her_ **_friend_ ** _Luka. Not for long, the way she’s blushing as she’s talking about him._ “Then I would say you did Kagami and Adrien a favor.” She winced and he decided to twist the knife. “I don’t know her but he seems happy. You made the right decision,” he praised.

Marinette sighed and he almost regretted making her feel bad. He ignored his sudden stab of conscience and said, “So...Luka...he’s just a friend?”

She scowled at his turn of phrase but he didn’t know why. “He might...become more...someday.” Her gaze softened. “He’s incredibly kind and supportive and a gifted guitarist. He and some of my friends are in a band. They were even offered a record deal and appeared on television.”

Felix was annoyed despite himself. It was difficult to compete with a guitarist for a girl’s affections; so many young women had romantic notions about love songs being written about them and musicians’ supposed sensitivity.

He should not _want_ to compete for her affections. She was no one to him but a project to keep his mother amused. He did not want to examine why he felt less lonely when she visited and despite his irritation over her and his mother’s “girl talk” he was reluctant to see her leave.

_Mine._

His mother had hand-picked this girl for him. She _would_ be an asset to Graham Films in the future and unlike the social-climbing gold diggers he’d grown up with, she didn’t _need_ money or family connections to succeed. She had the drive and talent to succeed on her own. He and his mother were just hastening her journey and easing her path.

_Ugh. This is pathetic. I’m becoming emotionally attached to the first girl who was remotely sincerely nice to me. I’m getting as bad as Adrien._

The thought of his cousin was a sobering one and as his mother said goodbye to Marinette he hardened his heart against her. The game to win Marinette to his family business was a long one and he excelled at planning. 

He refused to fall into the pit of sentimentality. He could win her heart without losing his own.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Gala! At the Gala!

“Are you ladies almost done? I think our driver is getting impatient.”

It was finally the night of the Grand Gauguin Gala. Felix smoothed down his hair and studied his reflection. Though he loathed admitting it, Marinette did a fantastic job on his suit. She’d even used some fabric scraps to create both a tie and a pocket square. He wasn’t a fan of pink but the color contrasted nicely with the dove grey of the suit.

He glanced at the door and was nearly ready to drag his mother and her new mini-me into the limo. Surely they were dressed by now.

He strode towards his mother’s bedroom and the door opened in time for him to collide with someone. The make-up or hair stylist no doubt. He opened his mouth to give them a piece of his mind.

_ And stood there gaping! _

Standing before him, looking as pink as his Great-aunt Sophie’s prize roses, was the comeliest young woman he’d ever seen in his life.

Her raven hair was swept up into an elegant chignon. Her make-up was subtly smoky everywhere but her dusky rose lips. Her dress was stunning; the sleeveless bodice and overskirt were dove grey, the skirt cut asymmetrically to reveal a bright pink underskirt underneath. A complex and clever design he could appreciate. The tiny black earrings should have been substituted for grey or pink but it was a small detail.

The beauty cringed a bit as he continued to stare. “Are you all right, Felix? I’m sorry I ran into you! Your mother has had me practice walking in heels all afternoon but I’m still not very good at it.” She waited for him to speak, then frowned. “Say something so I know you can hear me.”

“Marinette? You...look incredible!” He looked her up and down, convinced someone had substituted the designer for a model. Except she was far too short to be a model.

She chuckled. “I’ve been exfoliated, primped, and painted by your mother’s beauty staff. They wouldn’t have left me leave the room until I was presentable.” She inspected him as well. “You clean up pretty nicely as well.” 

He forced himself not to preen. “Graham de Vanily genetics. I’m just lucky, I guess.”

“I guess.”

Oh, she was baiting him, was she? Well, tonight was the last time he’d have to interact with her for awhile. He could afford to be generous.

“My my my, look at my _ beautiful  _ swans!” Amalie sauntered regally into the living room. Her dress was a masterpiece and if Felix hadn’t seen the process himself he’d swear it was created by a professional. The stylized floral embroidery brought attention to his mother’s still youthful face. She wore a single strand of pink pearls with matching earrings as her only other adornment.

Marinette giggled at the compliment. “Well, it must be your influence then, Amalie.” She told the blonde. “You must be bringing out the best in us.”

“Oh, you flatter me, darling,” Amalie waved a hand. A thought occurred to her. “Won’t be a moment,” she dashed back into her bedroom and came back with a pink silk shawl. She draped it over the designer’s shoulders before she could protest. “Just a loan, dear. Musn’t let my  _ protege _ catch cold!”

Felix sighed as he watched his mother fuss over her new chick. “It might be a good idea to leave now, Mom. Fashionably late can only stretch so far before it becomes late.”

“Yes yes, I’m glad you inherited your father’s practicality.” His mother replied and he escorted both of them to the waiting limo.

  
  


*****

On the way to the gala the girl nearly had a panic attack when his mother told her the even was “well under six hundred people,  _ practically _ tiny” but attended by the Parisian elite. _ Chloe  _ might even be there. Felix vowed then and there to keep all three of them away from the annoying brat. He and his mother mimed deep breathing techniques for the raven haired girl and she finally relaxed as they arrived…

...right behind a limo with his cousin’s giant bodyguard standing next to it.

“Look, darlings, Adrien is here!” His mother waited for the driver to open her door and departed the limo, looking at them expectantly.

“You don’t have to speak to him if you don’t want to,” Felix whispered to an unresponsive Marinette. “You’re here to have fun and make a few connections.” The gentle approach wasn’t working so he tried a different tactic. “Unless of course you’re  _ afraid,”  _ she glanced up at him and he smirked back. “Afraid everyone will see that you're not good enough for him. Afraid to show you’re not the designer you think you are.”

_ That  _ worked and he was pleased to see how she glared at him. Sure, he was being “nice” to her for his mother’s sake but he couldn’t resist provoking her to see that spark flare in her eyes.

Her reply was so arctic it had icicles in it. “We’ll see,” she told him and exited the vehicle. Her bearing was as noble as his mother’s as she swept past him and took Amalie’s right arm. Felix took her left and together they paraded onto the red carpet like minor royalty.

*****

“-and that was Gabriel Agreste making a rare public appearance, accompanied by his son Adrien, escorting Tomoe and Kagami Tsurugi,” Nadja Chamack was saying as they approached her. She turned towards them, smiling expectantly when suddenly her eyes widened as she took in Marinette’s presentation.

“Well, now I understand why you were too busy to babysit Manon tonight,” she teased the young girl.

Marinette of Ten Minutes Ago would have played with her hair and fidgeted. Princess Marinette, Ruler of Whatever She Damn Well Pleased chuckled and said, “Sorry, Nadia, but this was a rare opportunity. I’m very grateful to the Graham de Vanilys for allowing me to attend with them.”

“Actually, it’s Marinette who deserves  _ our  _ gratitude,” Felix spoke up. Giving the young designer and then the reporter a charming smile he elaborated, “she’s been one of the first friends I’ve made since my mother and I relocated to Paris. Tonight is our little way of saying thank you.”

He could tell by the look on her face Mme. Chamack noticed the similarities between himself and the young model who’d just left. To her credit, she was professional enough not to say anything aloud. Instead she touched her ear piece and then said, “So what brings the Vice President in Charge of Development of Graham Films to move to Paris? Can we hope to see film crews on the streets of Paris? Also I have to ask,” she continued as she admired their coordinated evening wear. “ _ Who  _ are you wearing?”

Amalie waved a hand. “Oh, I have any number of projects in the works at any one time, Nadia. But I can’t say anything  _ just  _ yet. Very hush-hush. You understand. Non-disclosure and all that.” She smiled brilliantly and did a little shimmy. “As for who we’re wearing...I’ve recently discovered a  _ new  _ designer and I’m just in  _ love  _ with...them.” She giggled as if she and Nadja were sharing secrets. All three of us are wearing MDC Originals. Created  _ specifically _ for us.  _ Divine _ , aren’t they?”

“I have to admit, I’m a little envious,” Mme. Chamack looked over Marinette’s gown as the girl tried not to blush. “I wonder if I can commission MDC before they’re too famous!”

“Well, it’s always best to get in on the ground floor, Nadja,” the blonde gently guided her escorts forward. “Good night!”

*****

Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on who you asked), the Agreste-Tsurugi party hadn’t gone too far ahead and the trio met them in the entry hall. No press were allowed beyond this point so the family would have a chance to catch up before entering.

_ Goody. _

“Gabriel! I’m surprised to see you here tonight!” Amalie smiled at her brother-in-law warmly, ignoring any undercurrent of tension around her. 

  1. Agreste carefully kept his hands in his pockets and gave his wife’s twin a cool nod. “Amalie. I’m pleased you came. No doubt the children will appreciate your support.”



“Becoming a mother teaches one empathy, Gabriel,” she answered. “If I love my son and want him to be safe and happy, then I should want the same for all children!” She looked at the Tsurugis and then back at Gabriel, eyebrow raised.

“Gabriel, shouldn’t you introduce us to your friend?” The older woman in sunglasses and a white  _ gi _ with red  _ hakama _ held a  _ shinai _ she used as a cane. Her daughter wore a red and black kimono. Felix recognized the girl from his cousin’s Instagram so the woman must be her mother.

Agreste cleared his throat and said with great reluctance, “Tomoe-san, Kagami-san, this is Amalie Graham de Vanily, my sister-in-law. Amalie, meet my friend Tomoe Tsurugi and her daughter, Kagami. The young man with her is my nephew, Felix Graham de Vanily and…” he trailed off as he looked at Marinette.

“ _ Hajimemashite _ ,” Felix bowed gracefully to the Tsurugis, who bowed back automatically.

Not to be outdone, Amalie bowed and said, “ _ Dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimazu _ .”

Gabriel continued to gaze at Marinette, frowning as he tried to recall where he knew her. Felix stepped in and introduced her. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, Uncle, but this is one of Adrien’s classmates. Her name is-”

“Marinette?”

Adrien had picked the  _ very best  _ time to join the conversation. Actually, he would have been better off keeping his loser mouth shut until he, his mother, and...his designer? Found their seats.

The model stared at the raven haired girl as if he’d never seen her before, which in a way was probably the case. His eyes widened as he took her elegant dress and countenance. “You look...amazing.”

To her credit Marinette didn’t blush or stammer but accepted the compliment as her due. “Thank you, Adrien.” She smiled at his cousin and his girlfriend. “You look wonderful as well. Kagami, you should wear red more often.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” the Japanese girl acknowledged the other girl’s appreciation and returned it. “Your dress is wonderful.”

The model agreed. “It really is!”

Gabriel finally remembered where he knew the girl from. “Yes, You won the hat contest.” He looked over the three of them with a critical eye. “Marvelous work, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Your own original design, I assume?”

“That’s right!” Amalie spoke for Marinette. “These are all MDC originals. My lovely little swan is poised to take design by storm! I can’t wait to...how did you put it, dearest? Cultivating a rare flower?” She smiled at her son, who grinned back.

“I believe so, yes, Mom.”

“Well, as charming as this family reunion as been, I must escort my guests to their seats,” Gabriel interjected brusquely. He put his hand on Tomoe’s elbow to guide her and turned his back on his sister-in-law. “Always a pleasure, Amalie,” he called over his shoulder as he left.

The Japanese girl gave the young designer a smile and a wave as she departed, firmly guiding her date, who seemed transfixed by his classmate.

Amalie waited until Gabriel was out of earshot before she stage whispered to her companions, “Ha ha ha ha ha.”

*****

The Gala was its usual tedious affair, the silent auction and boring speeches the same every year. The buffet offered a variety of cuisine and a sign on the banquet table assured guests that any and all leftovers would be donated to homeless shelters. Many thousands of euros were raised to help war refugees but one of the highlights of Felix’s evening were all the compliments his mother received about her choice of gown and  _ protege _ .

Felix made a point to introduce the designer to as many people as possible, especially if his uncle was watching. He told people she was his “amazingly talented friend Marinette, who designed their gala outfits and wanted to start her own clothing line.” Most people were suitably impressed and his uncle’s face twisted in a ugly way.  _ You should have hired her when you had the chance, Uncle. _

Marinette had given away every business card she’d brought with her and receive nearly twice as many in return. Felix last saw her chatting away with Jagged Stone, quick to assure the man she kept a secret seventh commission slot open just for him.

_ Smart move, that.  _ Stone’s music wasn’t to his taste but having such an influential rock star singing the praises of “his favorite little lady, practically an honorary niece” could only further Marinette’s career.

Felix’s  _ other  _ highlight of the evening was encountering his overprotective, furious cousin in the bathroom.

“What do you plan to do with Marinette?” the model demanded while the other boy washed his hands.

“Nothing. Why, do you think I should?” Felix sneered at his cousin’s reflection.

Adrien glared back at him. “Do I look like I’m joking to you?”

“No, you look like you’re holding in intestinal gas,” Felix countered and Adrien flushed.

“I’m serious, Felix. If I think for a  _ second  _ you’d do anything to her…”

The blond sighed. “Like what?” He dried his hands and stared at his cousin. The model’s face flared with anger and Felix laughed.

“Do you...think I’m going to take advantage of your innocent little friend? Seduce her to the Dark Side?” He chuckled when his questions hit home. “You do, don’t you? Please. She’s been coming over to work on her designs for two months. My mother chaperones us at all times.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “I’m sure Aunt Amalie would give you alone time with Marinette if you asked her to.” He glowered at his cousin and if the model were anyone else the blond would almost be afraid. “You got your fancy clothes. Stay away from Marinette from now on!”

Felix wanted to laugh. Did this little idiot really think that girl needed protection? His cousin _ really _ had to be oblivious to the world around him if he’d never noticed the tigress hiding just beneath the surface of the mouse.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Adrien he had not interest in Marinette, salacious or otherwise, besides as his mother’s protege and a future Graham Films asset. Seeing his cousin’s righteous indignation, not to mention presumption, made him want to bedevil his kin further.

“You know, Adrien,” he began, “I barely paid attention to Dupain-Cheng the whole time she was working on her designs.”  _ So I lie to myself sometimes, who cares? _ “But now that you’ve...forbidden me to interact with her...there must be something very special about this girl. Something I should realize for myself.” He turned around and clasped his cousin on the shoulders. “Thank you, Adrien,” he said as sincerely as he could muster. “Now I have to discover what’s so wonderful about her.”

His cousin looked shocked because that was not the response he’d expected. Adrien clearly thought Felix would back down as soon as he was scolded. “But-”

“Good-bye now.”

*****

Felix smiled as he sighted the table his mother and guest were sitting at. It was so much fun to push Adrien’s buttons. He should do it more often. Seeing his cousin lose his composure was hilarious.

His mother and Marinette smiled and waved him over and he grinned back. His smile faltered when he recalled he’d all but told Adrien he was planning to pursue the girl romantically. It wasn’t true of course but the model might talk and the last thing he needed was for the designer or his mother to think he was serious.

_ What the  _ hell _ had he just done? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silly Felix, what are you doing?


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila is finally exposed and Marinette gains respect and an unexpected ally.

The front steps of Francois DuPont were a hive of activity when Felix’s limo pulled up in front of the school. His mother had sent him there to ask Marinette to a celebratory dinner at their hotel.

“Oh my gosh, girl! You and Ice King looked so damn good last night! Why didn’t you tell me you were going to some fancy party? You could have gotten me a press pass!” A girl he recognized as Lady Wifi was asking a self-conscious Dupain-Cheng.

The raven haired girl didn’t get a chance to answer before a petite blonde with a pixie cut piped up, “You looked  _ so  _ pretty last night, Marinette! So sophisticated!”

No one had noticed him leaning against the limo and clearly they didn’t care how loud their voices carried. 

“MDC’s designs are  _ amazing!” _

“I know, right? How did you get someone so awesome to give you clothes, Marinette?”

“Isn’t Ice King’s mom a studio exec? Maybe she-”

“Well, Graham Films is pretty famous.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never even  _ heard  _ of MDC before last night. Maybe Gabriel Agreste has a new rival!”

“Please, don’t say things like that,” the pigtailed girl looked distressed and none of the morons surrounding her seemed to notice or care. He saw his cousin and that Japanese girl he was dating leave the school entrance and pause at the top of the steps while their classmate’s “friends” ripped her apart.

Felix met his cousin’s gaze, glanced at Marinette, and then back at Adrien as if to say,  _ aren’t you going to do anything?  _ Adrien glanced at Kagami and then shrugged, telling Felix  _ maybe? If I have to?  _

It was all Felix could do not to roll his eyes at his useless cousin. He debated he should intervene on the pigtailed girl’s behalf. She might not want his help, or perhaps she could handle her classmates on her own.

“I know MDC’s success might  _ seem  _ to be out of nowhere, but trust me when I tell you, he’s been working behind the scenes of the fashion industry for years. I’m  _ so  _ glad he took my advice and started getting his name out there.”

_ Wait. He? _

He hadn’t seen this girl before but he was sure he disliked her. She had long auburn hair, flat green eyes and a sharp face that reminded him of a fox. The crowd of girls abruptly left Marinette and clustered around the lying newcomer.

The interloper tossed her hair in what she probably thought was a charming manner and continued. “Yes, well, my mom met him a few years ago through work and they became friends. He was always making me play dresses when I was little. But his dream was to become a high fashion designer so I persuaded him to design a few evening dresses and shop them around. Luckily Mme. Graham de Vanily saw them and just had to have them for-”

_ That’s it. It’s bad enough she lied right in front of Marinette but  _ **_no one_ ** _ brings my mom into their bullshit! _

“Really?” Felix stepped forward and approached the fox-faced girl. The crowd looked irritated (no doubt the Punisher Trio was among them), his cousin worried and Marinette seemed almost relieved. “You  _ know  _ MDC personally? You’ve known  _ him  _ for years?” 

The “girl squad” clustered protectively around the auburn haired con artist and Felix stopped, amused. Did they really think he’d start a brawl in a schoolyard? Well, if they believed this liar, they probably would. The  _ real  _ designer stood alone and unprotected; Adrien stayed on the sidelines with his girlfriend, leaving the difficult work to his cousin.

The fox-faced girl looked him over, eyes widening when she noted how similar he looked to Adrien. Ugh. Clearly she wasn’t used to being challenged by someone with his level of confidence. “Y-yes! He’s a dear friend of my mom’s and-”

“What does he look like?” Felix asked.

She wasn’t expecting that. “What?”

“What does MDC look like?” he asked innocently. “Tall? Short? How old is he? Dark hair? Light? No hair?”

The girl’s lower lip trembled and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I-I don’t understand! Why are you-”

The crowd rose to defend the girl who was now covering her eyes and sobbing.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Leave her alone!”

The girl with red hair and glasses patted the crying girl’s arm soothingly. “Ignore him, Lila. He’s just Adrien’s jerk cousin.”

The auburn haired girl seem to calm down a bit but was startled when Felix began a slow clap.

“Impressive!” he smiled and only Adrien and Marinette could tell it wasn’t real. “You’re quite the actress...Lila, was it? It’s not every performer who can cry on command like that. You should consider going into films.”

She scrambled for a response but he cut her off. “Unlike you, I  _ do  _ know who MDC is. I can point them out right now.”

Marinette rapidly shook her head behind the crowd but he ignored her. He raised an arm and pointed to the dark-haired designer. 

The redhead gasped. “Wait, Marinette?  _ You’re  _ MDC? Those were  _ your  _ incredible clothes on the red carpet?”

The pigtailed girl looked surprised and hurt. “Alya! You’re supposed to be my best friend! I’ve designed for you. All of you!”

She looked at the rest of the crowd, who dropped their eyes when she glanced at them. Felix huffed.  _ They really need everything spelled out, don’t they? _

“M. D. C.” he spelled out slowly.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien finally spoke up, minutes too late to be of any use to the girl he claimed was his friend.  _ Spineless coward.  _

“If you were watching the red carpet coverage, Alya, you know Adrien and I were also there last night,” Kagami spoke up. “I can confirm MDC is indeed Marinette. As you should know, being her friend.” The fencer glared at the assembled students.

“Hmm…” a boy in glasses and suspenders consulted his phone and a small flying robot. “When factoring Marinette’s blushes and responses to Mme. Chamack’s questions plus confirmations from multiple primary sources, I must conclude she  _ is  _ MDC.”

“It was a great evening,” Felix continued. “I finally got to meet Jagged Stone. See? He gave me his autograph.”

He pulled out a picture of the famous rock star with the inscription:  _ To Felix. No, I’ve never owned a bloody kitten. Someone is lying. Love, Jagged. _

Suddenly the same people who crowded around the little perjurer were now surrounding Marinette, all talking at once.

“We’re so sorry, Marinette!”

“I can’t believe Lila lied about both you  _ and  _ Jagged Stone!”

“I should have known my BFF’s designs anywhere.”

“Hey, Marinette, could you design something for me?”

“Luka mentioned something about a video contest. Do you have time to make some costumes?”

The designer had gone pale and rigid, pleased to have the liar outed but overwhelmed by a cacophony of noise and the mob encircling her. She looked around for someone, anyone to rescue her. Adrien looked like he wanted to help but he was hesitating. As usual.

Felix pushed his way through the crowd and offered her his hand. “I can get you out of this if you want me to.”

The raven haired girl surprised him by taking his hand and giving him a grateful smile. He hustled her into the waiting vehicle and signaled the driver to take them to  _ Le Grand Paris _ .

  
  


*****

He told the limo driver to take the longest route possible to the hotel and raised the partition so he and Marinette could have some privacy. He worried she might need to be comforted physically. Did she need a hug, or would a pat on the hand do? Neither prospect sounded appealing and he hoped conversation would be an acceptable substitute. She was still pale but was no longer hyperventilating. He took that as a sign that she might be ready to talk. 

He let her breathing slow and watched her shoulders relax. When he was sure she might be open to listen to him, he began to speak.

“If you’re going to work in the fashion industry, you’ll have to get used to those kinds of things.”

She looked at him as if just noticing he was with her and he continued. “If you act like a pushover, everyone is going to take advantage of you, Especially considering how talented you are. They’ll all want to use you to further their own careers while you get none of the credit for your hard work.”

Her bluebell eyes were huge and frightened but she gave a small nod to let him know she was listening. Something stirred inside him and he softened his tone.

“I know you can be confident and stand up for yourself. You stood up to me, even though I had to provoke you to do it. You just need to practice...and maybe a little needling here and there.”

She snorted and it pleased him he was breaking the tension between them. “It’s only going to get worse as you become famous. Plenty of fake people will want to leech off your success.  _ He knew  _ **_that_ ** _ first hand.  _ Consider that little debacle with your school chums the perfect opportunity to learn how to separate the real friends from the hangers-on.”

Marinette looked sad. He told himself he didn’t care, because what he had to say would help her in the long run. He was willing to be the bad guy. “Do you really want to just...forgive them after they believed a literal stranger over you? That they wouldn’t even listen until the truth was staring them in the face and had to be confirmed by multiple people?”

Her eyes looked a little wet and she fidgeted with her backpack. “I...I want to forgive them. I don’t want to cut them out of my life. I’ve known most of them since __ _ école maternelle  _

but…” she bit her lip. “I’m tired of being betrayed by them every time Lila trots out a new pack of lies.” A frown marred her lovely face. “That girl...Alya? She’s supposed to be my best friend. She wants to be a journalist. She’s always telling me I need proof but she never does any fact-checking.”

Felix tried to make his voice gentle. “You don’t have to forgive them. You’re allowed to feel hurt.”

She must have felt utterly alone because she began to confide in him. “This isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. It isn’t even the  _ fifth  _ time. I tried telling Alya and Nino the truth about Lila but they just blew me off, saying it was my crush on Adrien talking and I was jealous.

“Of  _ her?”  _ Felix snorted. “I just met her and  _ I  _ can tell you she’s not his type.”

“I know, right?” the designer agreed. “I mean...yeah...I used to get a bit...weird around him but he’s not my whole world. Sure, I used to be jealous of Kagami when Adrien told me he liked her but I  _ still  _ helped him plan a date with her!”

He raised a brow. “And...why would you do that?”

She waved her arms helplessly. “Because I was stupid!”

The blond frowned at her. “Try again.”

“Because...I care about Adrien and want him to be happy.” The girl slumped. “Even if it’s not with me.”

_ Noble of her. Of course she would do that.  _ “And you  _ know _ Jagged Stone. In fact, he’s practically adopted you. You can easily disprove her lies. You did so today.”

She looked at him. “That was all you, but thanks.”

“That’s beside the point,” he replied sternly. “I knew I could do it because I’m confident in my abilities.  _ You  _ should be the same.”

“You know what hurts the most?” He had no idea but that didn’t stop her from continuing. “I’ve done so much for my friends. I became the class rep because I cared about them when Chloe didn’t. I bring treats for birthday parties. I did costumes and t-shirts for Kitty Section, my classmates’ band. I’ve made clothes and jewelry for them. Is a little support and loyalty too much to ask?”

"You give so much. Too much” He was surprised at how sincere he sounded. ”You'll give too much of yourself one day and there'll be nothing left of you."

“I let them push me into things,” she sighed. She looked at him and then away, embarrassed. “You see...that crush I had on your cousin. I couldn’t even talk to him without stammering or talking nonsense. He never seemed to notice me as anything but a friend. I think I would have given up on him a long time ago if it weren’t for Alya and the others pressuring me to confess.”

Listening to her talk about Adrien made him uncomfortable but he forced himself to ask, “How do you feel about him now?”

“I’m getting over him, I guess.” She raised her shoulders in a faint shrug. “I can talk to him now, with full sentences. He and Kagami seem perfect for each other. I’m happy for them.” Her smile was brave and poignant. “At least...I’m trying to be.”

“Good. That’s good.” He was strangely pleased to hear that. “You need someone by your side to support you. To stand up for you until you have the confidence to do it yourself.” He exhaled heavily. “And sadly, Adrien isn’t that person. He has no spine.”

That made her giggle. “Maybe that’s why Kagami holds on to his arm so much. To keep him from flopping over like an octopus!”

They shared a laugh and she looked guilty. “That wasn’t nice.”

“But it was funny. And more importantly, true,” Felix countered. “Kagami might be the person Adrien needs. She can teach him to grow a spine, but she’ll definitely be the dominant one in their relationship.”

He didn’t know  _ why  _ he was angry on her behalf. Perhaps it was because she was so talented and he didn’t want her energy wasted on unimportant flotsam like her classmates. He decided to file that thought away for later.

They were silent for a few minutes and when Marinette spoke again it was quiet but a touch more confident than it was before. “I think...I think I can forgive them.”

“That’s entirely your decision.”  _ Even though it’s one I disagree with and I think you’d be better off transferring to  _ **_my_ ** _ school where I can keep an eye on you. _

“But…”she bit her lip and stared at him, “I don’t think I can forget what they’ve done any time soon.”

He nodded in approval. “That’s perfectly fair.”

“I understand you know? I really do. Lila seems new and exciting, with all of these stories of this fantastic life lived around the world. And I’m...ordinary old Marinette.”

“Who can create well enough to impress my uncle and have famous rock stars clamoring for your services.”

“But I don’t think I’m going to make an effort to reclaim their friendship,” she went on as if he hadn’t spoken. She sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m so tired. And so...stressed. I wish I had someone my age I could talk to.”

_ Not me not me not me.  _ “Do you have any friends in any other classes? Someone a bit more objective?”

She brightened. “Aurore Boreale! She’s great! I bet I could talk to her, maybe make friends in Mme. Mendeleiv’s class.”

“Good.”

There was another pause and then he told her. “You need to learn to prioritize. Paid commissions over favors for...friends. Putting yourself and your needs first every once in a while. Self-care isn’t selfish, Marinette.”

Building her up was a good idea in the long run, especially if she worked for Graham Films in the future. She would have to be able to stand up for herself against exacting producers, penny-pinching accountants and spoiled actors who would complain about trifles such as “orange is my unlucky color!”

That’s why he was taking the time to help her, he told himself. That and…

Curiosity.

He wondered what it would be like to be friends with someone like Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Someone who wouldn’t betray him at the earliest opportunity, who was fiercely loyal to those who earned it. He was tired of living in his cousin’s shadow and wanted someone who would look at  _ him  _ and not immediately see the model. 

_ I want to be liked. I want to be seen for myself,  _ **_just_ ** _ myself. _

_ I’m tired of being hurt and disappointed. _

_ I’m lonely. _

When Marinette looked at him, he always had the impression she saw him and not Adrien, for better or worse. If she compared him to his cousin she never said so out loud.

He caught her looking at him from the corner of his eye. “What?”

She smiled at him. “This is the best you’ve ever been to me. You’re actually treating me like a person and listening to me, even though your mom isn’t around to encourage you.” Her smile was wistful. “It’s nice. This is the most anyone has ever listened to how I felt in a long time. I’ve missed it.”

The way she smiled at him made him realize he wanted more. She made him realize how alone he’d been and what he’d been missing by deliberately pushing everyone away. He’s never known anyone like her before. She was warm and kind and smart and he’d only known her for two months but he’d fight to keep her in his life.

She lightly touched his hand and he had to stop himself from flinching away. “Thank you, Felix. I’m feeling a lot better now.”

He nodded. “That’s...good.”

She looked him in the eye and her expression was gentle and sincere. “If you ever need to talk...about anything...I’d be glad to listen.” She raised her right hand and said, “I won’t tell anyone anything you tell me. I promise.” She lowered her hand and her face became serious. “Except if I thought you might harm yourself or others.”

“I’m not good at sharing my feelings,” he told her bluntly. As her face fell he amended, “but I appreciate the offer.”

Marinette smiled and for an instant he was reminded of how she looked when she recorded than confession to his cousin. “You know...I think it’s time I made a change. Did something just for me for once in my life.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makeover!

Amalie pressed her folded hands to her lips and nearly danced in her seat as she looked at her son and their guest. Her eyes sparkled with happy tears and Felix had the uncomfortable feeling his mom was already planning their engagement party.

“Mom…” he tried to say at the same time Marinette was telling his mother, “I was just thinking of a haircut, maybe change my style up a bit…?”

Unfortunately Amalie was no longer listening, off in her private fantasy. “A swan! You’re going to be a beautiful white swan, my dear girl! Not that you were  _ ever  _ an ugly duckling, darling. It’s just an expression. More like…” she pondered for a moment. “You just need a bit of polish so you can shine like the jewel you are.”

Marinette blushed and then sat up a bit straighter in her chair. “Yes, yes I am. I’m a gem and it’s time I and the rest of the world acted like it.” She giggled at her show of bravado and said, “well, maybe I’m just a semiprecious stone right now and I can work my way up to a gemstone.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Felix admonished and the girl blushed again. “You should always know what you’re worth and act like it.”

The girl frowned. “I hope that doesn’t mean I have to act like Chloe from now on.”

“I’ll never talk to you again if you do,” he warned and his mother laughed at their antics.

“I mean, act confident when you interact with people. Even if you don’t feel confident, you never let others know.”  _ It’s how I get through the day. _

The raven haired girl looked perplexed and he elaborated. “Remember that feeling when you were discussing your designs with Mom? How you discussed necklines and fabric choices? You convinced her you could create the perfect gown because you _ knew  _ what you were talking about and had faith in your talent and ideas.” Felix gave his guest a small half-smile. “That’s how you should act all the time.”

“But...that was  _ easy _ !” Marinette protested. “I  _ did  _ know what I was talking about! I spend a lot of time studying fashion and I go to fabric stores and learn about how they’re made and what kind of stitching works best with each fabric. I talk to seamstresses and pattern makers and-”

“Because you’re thorough and perceptive and smart enough to know all sorts of different elements contribute to good fashion.” He was flattering her, building her up, yes, but also manipulating her to join his side.  _ A mutually beneficial relationship  _ he told himself.

Amalie looked from one teenager to the other and tried to contain her excitement. She  _ adored  _ makeovers and Marinette was pure raw material who  _ deserved  _ to be pampered. Plus, she was the first young woman her son had shown any interest in for some time, romantically or otherwise. She was very proud of the way Felix was drawing her little designer to their side.

_ Their children will be both smart  _ **_and_ ** _ beautiful. _

It was just too perfect how good they looked together. Dark and blond, tan and pale. Plus, only an idiot like Gabriel wouldn’t want a sweet girl like Marinette to date their son. Even if the girl never became her daughter-in-law or (alas!) a company asset, her beloved son could use a friend, any friend.

_ So why not the sweetest, prettiest, most talented girl we can get our hands on? _

The blonde woman snapped out of her daydreams and focused on what the teenagers were saying.

“You were very poised and confident at the Gala,” Felix was reminding Marinette. “You handled that reporter’s questions like you’d been doing it for years.”

She made a face. “After you picked a fight with me just to be a jerk.”

He shrugged. “I think you mean I provoked you into standing up for yourself.” He smirked at her. “I know you can’t resist a challenge.”

The designer tilted her head and raised a brow at him. “So what? Are you just going to aggravate me every day so I stand up for myself and stop letting my friends...my classmates walk all over me?”

“If that’s what it takes,” he answered nonchalantly. “But I don’t have to do it in person. I could just text you some daily insults.”

The two adolescents looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Amalie was gratified to hear her son making a joke with a possible friend but she wanted to move ahead with her plan.

“Are you doing anything tomorrow, dear?” Amalie inquired.

_ Avoiding my classmates, maybe changing my phone number so Alya stops texting.  _ Marinette shook her head. “I was going to work on my homework Saturday morning but I’m free after twelve.”

“Perfect!” Amalie clapped her hands. “I’ll send my driver to pick you up around 12:30 and then we’ll go shopping! I know some lovely little shops…”

Marinette tried to protest. “Really I can make my own clothes…”

“Oh, I know you can, my sweet girl. I just think you need a few ready to wear items while you design a few new things for yourself. We’ll stop at the fabric stores after the spa.”

The girl paled. “Spa?”

“Trust me, dear, you deserve it.”

Felix chuckled at the mild panic on his guest’s face until his mother added, “clear your schedule for tomorrow, my darling. You’re coming with us.”

He opened his mouth to argue but she continued, “Now, let’s go down to the restaurant and celebrate my little _ protege’s _ red carpet debut. I hear there’s a special item on the menu named ‘Marinette Soup’!”

*****

“Why do  _ I  _ have to be here?”

“Because you’re my emotional support gremlin.”

“I’m not a gremlin…”

Felix very reluctantly followed his mother and his...whatever around the shops along the  [ Rue Montorgueil ](https://www.tripsavvy.com/exploring-the-rue-montorgueil-neighborhood-1618872) . Someone from the concierge carried the bags (Felix refused) and he trailed after them while playing chess on his phone.

He wasn’t expecting Marinette to be so friendly with him so soon but he reasoned she was having fun with his mother and thus could be a little more charitable towards him. Or she was on a friendship rebound and was clinging to him because she was lonely and he was there.

_ It doesn’t have to be me. It could be anyone. _

This was a good thing, he reasoned. Humans are sociable by nature and she was a sociable girl. He was using her need to belong to a peer group for his own purposes after all. If she was becoming attached to him this quickly it suited his plans.

For some reason this just served to irritate him. 

_ You want her to like you for _ **_yourself_ ** _? Really, Felix? The  _ **_business_ ** _ comes first. She’s a useful and possible future asset. Playing dress-up with her makes Mom happy. Don’t lose focus because you want to act like the lonely rich kid in a teen soap opera. _

The number of bags was smaller than he expected because he’d provoked the young designer into putting her foot down and not letting his mother buy out every store. Instead, the young woman picked out separates that could work with anything and he found himself suggesting she expand her usual black/white/pink color palette. So far she’d found a tailored navy pantsuit that made her look mature but still fashionable, a very flattering above the knee skirt and some dark pink blouses. Together they steered Amalie away from ball gowns but the pigtailed girl  _ was  _ sweet talked into trying on a scarlet and gold  _ qipao _ that accentuated her developing curves.

Amalie’s eyes lit up as she spotted her favorite spa, Ban Sin Thai. “Look! Let’s go get massages before going to the salon!”

“Perfect,” Felix sighed. “I think our porter deserves a foot massage.”

*****

“Okay! She’s ready! Come on out, dear!”

“It’s about time,” Felix grumbled. “So much fuss over hair. I’m glad I keep mine...short…”

He felt his mouth go dry as he gazed at the raven haired girl. She’d traded in her pigtails for a shoulder length angled bob. The new cut accentuated her delicate features and made her look elegant, someone who’d command attention from even the crustiest old businessman.

She was wearing the new navy pantsuit, cut close to the body without being too sensual. The pink blouse was darker than her usual palette and brought out her bluebell eyes.

Her make-up had changed too. She’d added mascara and eyeliner and a darker matte pink lipstick. He caught himself staring at her lips before remembering his manners.

“You look like you’re ready to introduce your own clothing line,” he finally told her.

She blushed but didn’t look away or fidget. In fact she mimed a sarcastic little curtsy. “Why, thank you, you’re very kind. You’re also entirely correct.”

Marinette was preening and he enjoyed seeing her new confidence. She did a little pirouette and he straightened her before she could fall over. She surprised him by beaming at him. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

He wondered if those morons at Francois Dupont and his idiot cousin knew that they’d walked away from. Doubtful. They’d dropped a sapphire to pick up tinfoil and it was too late to go back. She didn’t  _ want  _ them anymore and she sure as hell never  _ needed  _ them. For an uncomfortable moment he wondered if she’d walk away from him if he betrayed or neglected her and decided she would. Marinette Dupain-Cheng might be the type to give second chances but she had her limits, he was sure.

_ You’re becoming too important to me too fast. I should distance myself from you.  _

Felix realized he’d been staring for several minutes and finally said, “Sorry. The new you is...quite a contrast.”

“Yeah,” she ruefully stroked her shorter hair. “I’ll miss the pigtails but it’s lighter now. I like it.”

Her shoulders looked lighter too, as if she’d just shed a lot of stress. Dead weight from those alleged friends, no doubt. Her eyes were brighter and if he didn’t know better he’d swear she was glowing.

“Doesn’t she  _ shine  _ now my little magician?” Amalie cooed over her “white swan”, practically dancing with joy. Oh, she might have started this little project to acquire an asset before Gabriel knew what he missed out on but it had succeeded beyond her expectations. Marinette was rapidly establishing herself as a designer to watch and the poor dear needed a separate phone to field all the commissions and internship offers thrown her way. 

Plus it was obvious her son was becoming attached. The sweet child looked at his new friend like a cold, starving kitten given food and warmth for the first time in his life and couldn’t stop himself from craving more. It wasn’t  _ love at first sight  _ but there was every chance her  _ protege _ and her son were becoming very good friends.

Friendship was underrated in her opinion. Her and her husband were friends before their marriage and while her sweet love was too mired in being proper to be as passionate as she would like, she always felt loved and content.

The thought of her departed spouse made her eyes swim for a minute before she blinked the tears away. Geralt hadn’t wanted to die, it was that bloody stupid spinal cancer that took him away.

Now was not the time to think about that. She had to focus on her son and the future. If she were very, very lucky, Marinette would be at her son’s side to help him shape the destiny of Graham Films.

Amalie couldn’t help the wicked grin that crossed her face as she watched her son charm and flatter the young designer. She wondered how the girl’s classmates would react to this new and improved Marinette.

*****

Unfortunately, few people in Mlle. Bustier’s class noticed the new and improved Marinette because frequent victim Lila Rossi had been akumatized yet again. Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated her fairly quickly but when Felix strolled onto the front steps all he heard about was Ladybug’s new hairstyle.

“The braided buns are  _ so  _ cute!” The little blonde in pink was saying and her friends around her nodded.

“I wonder what triggered the new look?” the redhead with glasses was saying to a boy with headphones around his neck. “Did you notice how Chat Noir was a  _ lot  _ less flirty than he used to be? Their teamwork has improved, so I guess it’s a tradeoff.”

“Sorry, babe, but I think the  _ SS LadyNoir _ has finally sunk,” the boy told her mournfully.

“Never! LadyNoir ‘til the death of me!” she declared dramatically and finally noticed Felix lounging on the steps. “Felix.”

He smirked at her. “Wifi.”

The girl glared back. “Don’t call me that!”

The boy with the headphones tried to intervene. “Alya…”

“Sorry...Alya,” his tone was pure snark. “I’m not here to start an argument.”

Alya put her hands on her hips. “Then what  _ are _ you here to do?” She glared down at him. “Steal my best friend? Poison her against us? Nice makeover by the way.” She cocked her hip. “A guy doesn’t spend a lot of money on a girl unless he wants something in return.”

“Or he’s already getting it,” Felix heard someone mutter and then a yelp when the person got smacked.

“The makeover was my mother’s doing,” the blond corrected. He chuckled and said, “she’s always wanted a daughter.”

“Uh-huh,” the redhead crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care.”

“Felix?”

Marinette emerged from the school archway. She wore dark jeans with a royal blue top and carried her messenger bag on one shoulder. The girl looked surprised but not displeased to see him. “What brings you by?”

He noticed she stood apart from her classmates and pretended not to see the redhead trying to get her attention.  _ Clever girl, she’s beginning to see reason.  _

The blond boy gave the young designer as friendly a smile as he could manage. “I’ve decided to take up fencing and since the physical education teacher is friends with M. D’Argencourt, I’m getting special permission to come here after school.”

Her expression was difficult to read and he wasn’t sure if she was happy or dismayed to see more of him. It bothered him that her opinion mattered so much.

She opened her mouth to ask him for more information but stopped herself when she heard two familiar voices.

“We’re going to be late.”

“There’s a new student joining us from Montessori and M. D’Argencourt asked me if I’d show him to the....Felix?”

Adrien and Kagami stood behind Marinette, who didn’t acknowledge their presence. The Japanese girl was indifferent to his appearance at the school but his cousin gave him a surprised grin.

“You must be the new student M. D’Argencourt told me about,” the model exclaimed, brushing by Marinette in his haste to approach Felix. Kagami righted the raven haired girl and glowered at her boyfriend’s lack of manners. Adrien’s smile seemed genuinely friendly. “It’ll be great to finally spend more time with you!”

Kagami cleared her throat and put her hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Adrien, did you notice Marinette-”

“Oh! Right!” The model looked admiringly at the blue-eyed girl. “Marinette’s makeover looks great! Was it Aunt Amalie’s idea? I especially like the haircut. She looks like Major Kusanagi.”

The Japanese girl coughed into her hand but it sounded as if she had said “Otaku!” under her breath. Neither cousin paid attention and only reacted when the young designer pushed past them.

“Gotta run! Things to do, orders to pick up…” she smiled vaguely at everyone and was about to leave school grounds when Felix called out.

“What are you doing Friday evening?”

She turned her head, hair whirling attractively with her. “Probably nothing? Why?” Wifi looked disappointed but the designer didn’t seem to see her.

He grinned. “Mom’s found us a house.”


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amalie and Felix buy a house and create the perfect trap/workroom for Marinette.

“Simply  _ wonderful _ , don’t you think, darling? Only five bedrooms, so it’s cute and cozy. Our country estate in England is this huge antique brick pile so I wanted something small and cute in Paris…”

Amalie continued to show a very impressed if overwhelmed Marinette around her new mansion. A two-story mansion with a finished basement might seem small and cozy to the Graham de Vanilys but at least three of the bakeries would fit inside. Aside from the standard features like a living room, dining room and den, the structure also boasted a sunroom on the first floor near the kitchen and two separate rec rooms in the basement.

“We’ll have a  _ lovely _ little guest room for you on the second floor for the nights you’re designing for us, or perhaps one of your celebrity clients and it’s too late for you to go home.  _ But  _ I thought this fifth bedroom in the basement could be converted into a... _ workroom _ !”

Felix trailed after the two females and tried to keep the triumphant smirk off his face. The young designer had no idea his mother was creating a homey little trap for her, too irresistible to escape. 

_ We’re going to make you as comfortable and welcome as possible here. So you’ll never want to leave. _

That thought sounded a bit too possessive to be healthy and Felix dismissed it to listen to what the raven haired girl thought of the room.

Marinette’s eyes were wide and shining and her smile was euphoric. “It’s perfect!”

He could tell she was already imagining herself working in the space. He could almost see her placing her dress form in the corner, deciding where the sewing machines would go, picking out paint chips…

The girl made wide gestures with her arms. “I think  _ this  _ would be a great place for a cutting table. It could also double as a place to lay out patterns. Also a work table would be great, some shelving for supplies…”

“Make a list of everything you want and give it to me, dearest. I’ll contact a few suppliers.” At Marinette’s look of shock she added, “Don’t worry, I’ll deduct the cost out of any future work you do for us.”

The girl stopped and looked at her hostess. “Wait! I can’t accept this! It’s too much. You shouldn’t spend all this money on me.” 

“No, don’t stop her or she’ll want to design  _ my  _ room next and I only convinced her to get rid of my race car bed two years ago. He leaned in and whispered, “Please. This mentorship has been the only thing that’s pulled my mom out of her depression. If you turn this down, she’ll make me spend hours looking at family albums. Again.”

He knew he was being manipulative but every word he spoke was the truth. He could tell she was wavering and as they listened to his mom happily debating wall treatments the girl nodded.

Amalie happened to catch her nod out of the corner of her eye. “I’m so happy you like the idea, Marinette!” His mother gave the girl an impulsive hug. “I’ll make an appointment with an interior designer for tomorrow and then we can discuss furniture shopping!”

*****

Furniture shopping was even more tedious than clothes shopping. Marinette had full input on choices for colors and furniture in her workroom, Felix could veto anything concerning his bedroom, but anything else they left to the professional and her crew. As soon as possible the two teens escaped to the den downstairs.

“Ah. Here they are.” Felix spotted a pile of cloth-bound photo albums on the coffee table.

Marinette was surprised. “My parents have a few family pictures but I didn’t know anyone used actual albums any more.”

“My father was very...traditional about some things. He thought physical photographs had more soul than digital reproductions,” Felix explained.

She laughed. “Sounds like Grandpa Roland.”

Felix was smart enough to hide all the truly embarrassing baby pictures (and any of the Agrestes’) but he and his guest had a surprisingly good time laughing over ancient late 90s fashions his parents had worn.

Marinette opened the last album, gasped, and closed it quickly before putting it back on the table. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t-”

“It’s all right,” here was yet another opportunity to earn sympathy points. “It can only hurt me if I let it.”

The book was filled with pictures of his father shortly after he became ill. The early photos were of a reserved but kindly looking man who posed with Felix and his mother. Amalie looked cheerful but resigned and Felix looked younger, less cynical. His eyes were filled with worry and hope and all three held hands.

As Marinette flipped through the book the man grew thinner, his kind mouth a firm line. His hair disappeared and he wore loose-fitting scrubs. Amalie’s smile looked more and more false and their son went from hopeful to contemptuous.

The images were overwhelming and she closed the book and carefully placed it back on the coffee table.

“My dad had stage four spinal cancer. He was in the final months of his life when Aunt Emilie disappeared, that’s why we weren’t here for Adrien. Kind of hard to think of anything or anyone else when you’re watching your father die.” Felix didn’t have to fake the lump in his throat. He missed his father. “Had he gone to the doctor earlier they might have caught it in time but by the time Mom finally persuaded him…” he shrugged.

He closed his eyes to stop himself from remembering how the strong man who raised him had faded into a pitiable, angry creature.  _ This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have used  _ **_this_ ** _ to manipulate her. _

He felt something soft being pressed into his hand and opened his eyes to see the girl carefully looking away from him. “You...have something on your face.”

Felix looked at his hand and saw she’d given him a handkerchief. He reached up and felt a cheek. It was wet.  _ Huh.  _

He wiped his face and then put the cloth into a pocket. “Thank you. I’ll return it as soon as it’s laundered.”

Marinette looked at him and he was surprised to see the empathy shining on her face. She felt bad for  _ him.  _ She cared about  _ his  _ suffering. He could use this.

She raised her arms as if going for a hug and he recoiled. She dropped her arms and settled for awkwardly patting his hand. “I’m here if you want to talk. Sometime.”

The designer smiled and he was surprised his own was as sincere. He gently squeezed her hand and was pleased when she let him hold it. “I think I’d like that. I need that. Sometime.”

Felix stood up. “But not today. Today I want to show you one of the rec rooms. We’re converting it into a dojo.

*****

Felix warmed up slowly, watching Marinette copy his movements. She wore an old  _ karategi  _ that hadn’t fit him for three years. On him it would have looked ridiculous, on her it was...cute.

Once they were warmed up he asked her, “have you studied martial arts before?”

She nodded and tried to straighten her posture. “I did until a few years ago. I’m a little rusty.”

“Well, with all these akuma attack Paris, you should probably be prepared to defend yourself.” Her expression was something between a pout and a glare and he forced himself not to laugh or smile. Time to put on the dojo face.

He made his face go blank so she couldn’t read him and slid into an offensive stance. Hers was defensive. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,” he taunted and enjoyed watching her bristle at him like an angry kitten.

“Whatever.”

He tried a simple punch, which she avoided. A kick barely avoided her knee but she dodged. Her reflexes were faster than he thought they’d be.

The blond gritted his teeth and aimed for his opponent’s solar plexus. He nearly stumbled when she blocked and pushed him back. He tried another kick; she caught his ankle and shoved his leg away.

Felix was impressed but also frustrated. “What are you waiting for? Attack me!” He tried a flurry of blows and backed Marinette into a corner but she rolled to one side and back up behind him. He chased her to the middle of the room with whirling kicks but aside from defending herself she did nothing.

“Coward!” he taunted. “What, is the poor little princess afraid? Don’t want to break a nail like Chloe? No wonder everyone bullies you. You’re weak. Pathetic. You can’t even stand up for yourself, much less talk to my cousin. I don’t blame him for choosing Tsurugi over you.”

That was a mistake, the last little bit because her lower lip trembled but her eyes…

They sparked with anger and determination and her posture shifted. She was no longer cowering; she stood tall and proud, lips pressed firmly together. This was no shrinking damsel who needed protection, this was someone born to lead.

There was something annoyingly familiar about her stance. Where had he seen that stance before?

“You don’t have the right to call me that!” she roared and attacked.

Usually when someone was angry their attacks were unfocused and easy to predict. She became white with rage and suddenly Felix found himself on the defensive, dodging her blows and trying to mount a counterattack but she left no openings for him to exploit.

_ I’ve missed this. I  _ **_needed_ ** _ this so much. Someone who challenges me. You’re a surprising person, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. _

Felix found himself breathing heavily but the girl wasn’t even flushed. If this little sparring session went on for much longer he could lose due to her superior endurance. He wasn’t proud of what he was about to do but he cared more about his pride than hers.

He launched a punch at her while at the same time stuck out his foot behind her. As predicted she tripped and he caught her, one hand catching her wrist, the other supported the small of her back.

The blond allowed himself a second to enjoy the look of surprise on her face before righting her. “Are you all right?”

Her expression changed from surprise to angry disbelief. “You tripped me!”

It was on the tip of his tongue to blame her own clumsiness on her fall but he quelled it. He’d manipulated her enough today and he didn’t want to ruin the rapport he was developing with her.

He gave her a half-hearted shrug. “Yes, I did. I wanted to see your reaction.”  _ Not the whole truth but close enough.  _ “Your stamina and strength is impressive, Marinette. Nice reflexes too.”

She seemed put off-balance by the compliment. “Uh...yeah...I’m used to helping my dad with baking. Industrial-sized bags of flour aren’t light you know.”

That didn’t explain her reflexes but he could let that slide. “Do you feel better now?”

The raven haired girl looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“You always seem at least a little stressed. Especially if certain classmates are around,” he explained. “I usually have a little excess tension too. Meditation is great, but in my mind nothing is better than physical exertion for stress.”

“I...usually sketch a new design but yeah, if that works for you,” she grinned. “Thanks, Felix. I feel a little more relieved now.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “I’m going to take a shower upstairs. Care to join me?”

She went red and he laughed. “No, separate showers, of course.”

He walked towards the door and paused. “Marinette?”

“Yes?”

“That rusty martial art of yours. Is it…?”

“Northern Shaolin Kung Fu,” she replied. She chuckled at his surprise. “My mother’s family is from an isolated province in China. Nothing to do there but practice martial arts, farm and cook.”

They bowed to each other and left the _dojo._ Felix found himself thinking; if she was good enough to dodge everything he threw at her and nearly fought him to a standstill, he was very glad she was “rusty”.

  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami tries to confront Felix about monopolizing Marinette. It backfires horribly.

The next few weeks were busy to the point of chaotic at the Graham de Vanily mansion. The workmen Amalie hired were professional and did their jobs quickly and well; as to be expected when one is paid a premium. Felix and his mother stayed at the  _ Grand Paris  _ for a few days during the worst of the construction and remodel but soon found themselves settled in nicely.

Marinette, though not as adept at interior design as she was at fashion was a treasure. She helped reign in the worst of his mother’s excesses and convinced her not to go with an exotic “theme” in the common room. She managed to compromise with the interior designer Amalie hired while making the other woman feel she wasn’t being dictated to by a teenager.

“She’s an employee,” Felix had tried to tell the young designer. “She’ll do what she’s paid for or Mom will find someone else.”

“She’s an artist in her own right,” the raven haired girl had fired back. “What she does is a lot more difficult than it looks.” She spent half an hour explaining shades of color and details like crown moulding until he conceded.

Aside from his own bedroom and _ dojo  _ Marinette had input on nearly every other aspect of their new home; furniture, wall treatments, flooring, etc. It was as if, Felix realized with a start, his mother was slowly training the girl to be mistress of the house one day. The thought left him excited and uneasy. 

“Mom…” he tried to tell her, “be careful where Marinette’s concerned.”

Amalie looked up from her fabric samples to say, “hmmm?”

He recognized that look of contrived innocence. She was going to make him spell it out.

“If-if she finds out what we’re trying to do she’ll never speak to us again. That girl hates liars and technically we’re deceiving her.” He felt no guilt for what they were doing and she would benefit as much as they would but he still felt his mother was being reckless; expecting too much, wanting too much too quickly.”

His mother’s expression shifted to one of sympathy and he flushed. This wasn’t about  _ him  _ after all. He sighed and tried again.

“And let’s say...our plan doesn’t work because she decides to work for Gabriel or herself and...leaves us,” just talking about this subject made him feel emotional, vulnerable. “I don’t want your feelings getting hurt when you realize you can’t keep her.”

“Oh, my sweet boy,” his mother crooned as she played with his hair, “you shouldn’t have to look out for my feelings. As your mother, that’s my job!”

He shook his head. “No, Mom. It’s  _ our  _ job to look out for each other with Dad gone.” It was getting easier to say ‘Dad’ without flinching. “I get it, Marinette isn’t just one of your projects you take on to distract yourself. You care about her.” He tried to smooth his hair back down as he explained, “we should pull back, create some emotional distance. Maybe we should encourage to pursue a career in fashion _ for now _ ,” he emphasized when he saw his mother about to interrupt, “and gradually ease her into costume designing. Marinette is...stubborn as much as she’s determined. We can’t railroad her into doing what we want. Not if we want a lasting relationship...between her and the company.”

Felix tried to keep any personal feelings he may or may not have out of the discussion. He’d yet to determine whether the young designer was a passing novelty or something more permanent and preferred not to examine his own emotions. Besides, not all of his mother’s  _ protege’s  _ turned out to be grateful for her help, nor loyal. He wouldn’t have her betrayed over a pair of pretty eyes and a creative mind.

Amalie smiled at her son and once again he had the feeling his mother could read his psyche and sift through his thoughts until she found the ones she wanted. It was clearly a mother thing.

“Oh darling,” she hugged him close and he had to look away from that knowing, compassionate smile. “It’s so  _ good  _ of you to try to protect my emotional well being. You remind me of your father when you’re like this,” she said fondly. Her expression became more serious. “I know, my dearest, even better than you the risks I’m taking, emotional or otherwise.”

“Now, I need you to trust your mother because she knows what she’s doing,” she winked at him and sighed. “Darling, I’ve been hurt before, disappointed before. Her forest green eyes turned darker with the weight of memories. “Life can be harsh and wealth and influence do not protect you from heartbreak.” She frowned and kissed his forehead. “But some people are worth the risk and investment you put in them. I’ve learned to be discerning. You will too.” She leaned in and whispered in her son’s ear, “But if she deliberately breaks your heart, I will  _ destroy her.” _

She stood up and looked back at her very amazed son. “I’m feeling up to a stroll. Why don’t we stop by that  _ lovely  _ little bakery Marinette’s family owns. It’s a  _ pain au chocolat _ kind of day!”

*****

Marinette’s long hours as consultant had the pleasant side effect of less time for her idiot classmates and easily swayed friends. The blogger had been especially vocal about him “stealing her BFF” but Felix mentioned he and his mother were paying Marinette for her time and services, so it was actually a part-time job. He might also have hinted this left less time for the raven haired girl to be commandeered into free services she was barely even thanked for.  _ That  _ had earned him a punch in the arm from the young designer later.

Because Felix and his mother needed the girl for odd hours (and Marinette herself frequently ran late or had to leave for mysterious reasons) Amalie had given her a house key and a key to her workshop. The young designer could come and go as she pleased; a calculated show of trust by his mother Felix could appreciate. She still knocked and Amalie found her manners and respect of privacy charming.

Still, those close to her didn’t trust him. They were right to do so but the thought still chafed him; Marinette benefited just as much as anyone by allying herself with his family. His mother would gladly trade money and connections for talent and creativity. She wasn’t being overworked or pressured and as for any...personal...association, he’d be lying if he said the idea was more pleasant than it used to be but there were too many variables to calculate. Besides, while he had no qualms manipulating the girl to aid the business or keep his mother amused the thought of tricking her into marriage was revolting. Such an act would make  _ himself  _ as miserable as his partner and enlightened self-interest is a great motivator. Besides, his parents had a happy marriage full of respect and contentment. He wanted that for himself.

Unfortunately for his and his mother’s plans, some of Marinette’s would-be defenders were more resilient than others. He could freeze out most of her classmates and remind them their dear friend was doing something important for her future and didn’t they owe it to her to be supportive? Chloe didn’t care and that little liar was pulled out of school because her mother was transferred to Spain. How very fortunate.

Only two people remained a problem; Adrien and Kagami.

His cousin did little more than give him disapproving or sad-eyed stares but his fencing game had been especially aggressive lately. Felix blew off any attempt to talk outside class and the model was easy to avoid.

Kagami, on the other hand…

She was stubborn, determined, and strong willed. Felix could understand why Adrien was drawn to her confidence but he was both amused and annoyed at how easily the girl ran his cousin’s life now. An unequal relationship.

It wasn’t as if he cared for the model’s well-being but the obstinate Japanese girl kept interfering with his plans for Marinette.

The dark eyed girl glared at him constantly and showed no mercy during their duels. She convinced Marinette to go out for ice cream or orange juice whenever possible. She also told the other whenever she knew Felix could hear her, “if he ever becomes a problem, let me know” more than once.

Felix might have let the matter drop but Tsurugi decided to stop by his mansion one afternoon after fencing to try and threaten him.

*****

“Make yourself at home. We have green tea, if you like. Sorry, but my mom’s out of the house picking out furniture.”

“Thank you, that would be nice,” Kagami placed her school bag on the coffee table in the den and Felix had a newly hired maid bring them tea and snacks.

They sat quietly drinking tea. Felix had a vague idea what she’d come to discuss and decided to let her bring Marinette up first. Kagami might appear stoic but he’d seen in class she could also be impulsive and he would use that against her.

The Japanese girl jiggled her foot in agitation so the blond decided to give her an opening. “You know, I’ve always wanted to try Japanese tea ceremony-”

Kagami set her cup down forcefully; not enough to break it but enough to make some tea slosh out and onto the coffee table.

“Those cups were a wedding gift from my father’s  _ sensei”  _ Felix mourned.

His answer was a glare. “I wish to know your exact intentions towards Marinette,” she demanded.

Felix decided to play dumb. “Well, I believe Mom is intending on offering her a summer internship with Graham Films and she’s always interested in developing talent-”

“Not. What. I. Meant.” the Japanese girl slammed her hands on the table for emphasis before realizing she was sloshing more tea. She composed herself and continued.

“I remember you from the video, Felix Graham de Vanily. You had no respect for Adrien’s grief that day, nor for any of his friends who only wanted to help and support him. Your mother’s intentions may be honorable but yours are not!” One of her hands went for a nonexistent and she stopped herself. She scowled at him. “If you are playing with Marinette’s feelings or intend to dishonor her by thought, word or deed, I will come for you. Believe me when I say your family’s influence is no match for my own.”

Felix didn’t know Kagami but he observed her. She prided herself on never hesitating but that wasn’t always a good thing. Sometimes standing back and waiting created an opening. The dark eyed girl had a greater temper than he initially thought. She could be tricked in creating an opening for him.

“You know,” he began thoughtfully, “my father’s  _ sensei _ , Hataya- _ sensei _ , was also my first  _ sensei  _ before he retired.”

Her eyes looked like she wanted to interrupt but she nodded instead. He continued.

“He not only taught me karate but also about his culture. Contrary to what some believe, Japan isn’t all  _ anime _ and Pocky. There’s thousands of years of history, art, and culture. I have a great deal of respect for it.” He gave her a slight bow of his head.

She was confused at what he was getting at but returned the bow.

Felix kept his voice calm and even but her presumption at coming to his house and demanding answers was irritating. His goals where Marinette was concerned were not her business.

“One of the things he taught me about your culture really stuck in my head.” “He gave her a model smile he’d copied from Adrien and was pleased to see her flinch. “It was the concept of  _ giri,  _ or one’s duty and  _ ningyo, _ personal desires or wants.” Felix made a great show of refilling their teacups from the provided kettle. “You are Marinette’s friend, correct? That’s your whole reason for being here, right? You want to protect her from the bad guy; me.”

Kagami nodded again and he enjoyed her confusion. She really had no idea what she’d walked into. He was about to enlighten her.

“Now, your duty as Mariette’s friend would have been to help win the boy she likes over. Or at least not pursue him until she’d had a chance. But you,” he let his pleasant expression die. “You chose your own selfish personal gain over friendship. You  _ knew  _ Marinette liked Adrien and went after him anyway. Your actions hurt her and you were aware but chose him over her.” His gaze became a glare. “So don’t come to  _ my _ house, insult me, and then pretend to care about Marinette’s feelings because you sure didn’t have a problem when it benefited you to do so.”

He was angrier than he meant to be but he didn’t appreciate her interference. He might lie and steal but he wasn’t a hypocrite and would never claim the moral high ground. Kagami was doing both.

The blond saw a break in her stoic facade. “I was always upfront with Marinette about my interest in Adrien. I never pretended otherwise. Marinette knew that. She failed on numerous occasions to confess to your cousin.” She straightened in her seat. “To be honest, Adrien and I are better matched. We have more in common, our parents do business, we understand each other.”

Felix shrugged. “Fine but you still sacrificed your friendship with Marinette for a chance with Adrien.” His cousin’s name left a bitter taste on his tongue. “Not exactly honorable.”

He sat there and let her agonize over her internal dilemma before deciding to let her off the hook. His mother would be home soon and he wanted the dark eyed girl gone before then. He wouldn’t want Marinette to see her there either.

The blond and tried to look exhausted and put-on. “My mother has decided to take Marinette on as her  _ protege  _ and wants her to work with us in the future. She has an eye for talent. And let’s face it, Marinette is very likeable.” He allowed himself a soft smile. “Mom doesn’t have many friends in Paris. Our whole life has been in London so of  _ course _ she’s latched onto your…’Everyday Ladybug’, I think Adrien calls her? Mom would adopt her if she could.”

“And...your part? Your intentions?” Kagami forced herself to ask.

Felix shrugged. “Business, mostly. She’s talented and creative and would do well in fashion or movies. Or both,” he sighed and acting like he was confiding in her. “But she needs more self-confidence in her abilities. And she needs to shed those classmates of hers. Friends don’t backstab you. They don’t leech you of all your time and talent and get angry when you don’t want to spend all your time and money on them.”  _ Even I know that.  _

Kagami didn’t seem convinced but at least she was listening to him. “Do you consider yourself Marinette’s friend?”

“Possibly.”  _ I don’t know. Would I even know how?  _ He shrugged. “I’ll leave that up to her. But I am looking out for her and my family’s best interest. Marinette knows all this. I’ve never lied to her about my objectives.” That was not a lie.

She was wavering but still rose as if to leave. “I’ll be watching you very closely, Felix. Despite what you think of me now, I am not without honor. I will prove myself worthy of Marinette’s friendship.”

He stood as well. “I’m not the one you have to convince but fine. Let me walk you to the door.”

The dark eyed girl allowed him to lead her to the entrance then paused to look at him. “Felix, I hope my first impression of you are wrong. If I have jumped to conclusions, I will apologize.”

“Thank you for coming over,” he bowed politely.  _ Leave. Please. I’m ready for you to leave now. I’m tired of you.  _

“Thank you for the tea,” she bowed back and open the door. “I will see you at fencing.”

“ _ Mata ashitane _ .”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm spelling Amelie's name wrong. Sorry not sorry.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a year of passive-aggressive combat, Felix and Adrien finally hash things out.

Felix’s Saturday started out uneventful. Mom and Marinette were fabric shopping; Amalie Graham de Vanily was finally ready to attend social events again and the invitations had been pouring in. This meant more dresses for his mother and more money and prestige for Marinette, who was steadily amassing a college fund for herself.

This meant he had alone time, a very rare commodity that he decided to spend working on his  _ kata  _ and a bit of reading.

It was a peaceful three hours until his cousin dropped by.

A well-meaning maid showed the model into the den and Felix sighed when he realized he’d have to entertain someone who annoyed him two days in a row. At least he cared about Adrien...deep down inside.

“Thanks for stopping by, cousin,” he greeted his near-twin as they sat down together in the den.

“Thank you for having me,” the model answered politely and looked at the plate of treats in front of him. “Hey, those are-?”

“Green tea macarons from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, yes. Mr. Dupain sweetened them with monk fruit so you don’t have to worry about going over your carb allowance.” Even Felix could feel pity for his cousin’s ridiculous diet.

The model gave him a half-smile. “That’s smart. Marinette’s idea?”

“Of course.”

The two ate in silence. Felix could tell his cousin was agitated and decided he wanted to move the conversation along. “I take it you want to talk about your girlfriend’s visit yesterday.”

“What did you say that upset Kagami so much?” Under the facade of etiquette Adrien was agitated.  _ Good _ . 

“She came over here to grill me about my ‘intentions’ towards Marinette and tried to threaten me into behaving.” Felix rolled his eyes. The conversation still annoyed him. “Did she tell you what we talked about?”

Adrien shrugged. “Not really. Just that she was upset over what you-”

“If she didn’t tell you herself it’s not my place to tell you without her permission. Privacy and all that.”  _ You can’t argue, can you? Not without looking nosy and we both know Agrestes are all about appearances.  _

Felix thought that answer would shut his cousin up but the model wasn’t finished talking to him. Joy.

“Look...Felix, I’m glad you and Aunt Amalie are making new lives for yourselves in Paris. The model smiled at his cousin. “And I’m glad you’re helping Marinette realize her potential as a designer. Those outfits she made for the gala were amazing.”

“But,” Felix prompted. Typical Agreste feint; lead with a compliment, then come around and attack the rear.

“ _ But _ ,” Adrien turned his earnest honey green eyes towards his cousin. “Let’s forget about the...disagreement you had with Kagami yesterday. I want to talk to you about Marinette.”

_ Oh, right. Here we go. Prince Adrien to the rescue.  _ “What about her?”

The model’s face took on an expression the other blond had seen before. His brows rose and he pressed his lips together, eyes earnest and sincere. This was how Adrien looked when he had to tell someone bad news and didn’t want to be questioned or berated about it.

“I-I’ve noticed the two of you have been spending a lot of time together.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “The makeover was great and all and it’s wonderful that Marinette seems so confident now,” the model’s smile was full of admiration for his friend. “She even talks to me now without getting nervous. It’s been great!”

_ Because she’s been getting over the crush she had on you, you oblivious idiot  _ Felix thought but merely nodded.

“But,” the look of worry returned and Felix would have been amused under other circumstances but he was tired of other people questioning his motives towards the designer, motives he himself no longer wished to examine. “I’m worried what will happen to Marinette once you and Aunt Amalie’s done with her. She’s not used to the spotlight like we are. She was raised in a bakery, not on a red carpet. She’s going to get hurt.”

“Mom and I are going to give her a hand up in a very lucrative but challenging field.” He was beginning to get tired of repeating himself and really wanted to tell his near-twin to mind his own damn business. “She’s getting training and networking opportunities  _ for free _ . Mom had a workroom created for her and she has a small stipend for materials if we can’t find her something unused at Graham Films. She’s earning money for university so she doesn’t have to worry about scholarships or living expenses once she leaves home.”

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “And what do you get for all this generosity?” 

Felix huffed. He didn’t even  _ have  _ to act annoyed because the model brought it out of him naturally. “ _ We  _ get a fully-trained designer with amazing talent and creativity a decade before any other studio has heard of her.” He matched his cousin’s honey gold eyes glare for glare. “And should she decide not to work for us Mom still gets the bragging rights for discovering an incredibly talented young artist.” He smirked. “That, and the fact that recruiting her before your dad can realize what he lost out on will really tick him off.”  _ Bonus! _

Adrien’s shoulders relaxed a bit but he wasn’t completely convinced. His gaze intensified and his cousin knew the model was examining him for any hint of a lie.

“Fine. I’ll accept that.”

Felix blinked. “Um, great. So-”

Adrien waved a hand. “No, let me explain. I’ll accept  _ Aunt Amalie  _ loves mentoring Marinette, discovering someone who could rival my father.” He leaned in closer. “I can even believe you’re helping her with the mentoring because you’d do anything to see your mom happy. But that doesn’t explain why you’re spending all your free time with her, monopolizing her so much her friends never get to see her any more. So tell me,” his face was only inches away from his near-twin’s, “what do  _ you  _ want from Marinette besides an asset. Because I know there’s more going on here than what you’re saying.”

“You know,” Felix deliberated over his answer for a minute, “it’s weird how possessive and watchful you are of a girl you’re not even dating. Someone who is, by your own admission, ‘just friends with.” He mock-glowered at his cousin. “I hope you’re not leading Tsurugi on.”

The model had the grace to flush and look embarrassed. “Marinette doesn’t have anyone to look out for her, like a sibling or a boyfriend, so I’m-”

“Being an interfering busybody,” Felix finished for him.”  _ Oh, I’m heartlessly manipulating her emotions so she’ll feel obligated to work for us, but I’m not trying to get in her trousers.  _

Hrm. There was an angle. Time to go on offense. “Wait...do you think I’m trying to seduce her? Do you think I’m going to get her pregnant or something and abandon her?” His cousin looked shocked but still nodded.

“Oh, for…” Felix rubbed his forehead because he was definitely getting a migraine. “Let’s agree never to speak of this subject again.”  _ We’ve barely even held hands! I’m not attracted to her. She’s an asset. I have to keep thinking of her as an asset. I can’t afford to get attached, even if I feel less alone when she’s around. Perhaps I’ll get a cat… _

Adrien nodded vigorously and his cousin went on. “You know...it’s amazing to see how chivalrous you are towards Marinette when you think  _ I’m  _ planning to hurt her in some way and not when she’s being bullied by Chloe or Lila. Or you know, when her friends keep asking her for favors and then turn their backs on her if she has the gall to say no.”

The model tried to defend himself. “But-”

“No,” Felix scooted away from the other blond. “Because it makes you  _ look good.  _ Because you don’t have to get your hands dirty and soil that perfect image your father has so carefully made for you.” His smile was patently false, his voice sickeningly sweet. “You don’t have it in you to stand up publicly for her. In fact, you told her to be quiet and let the lies and abuse continue.”

The lies and alienation had made Marinette emotionally vulnerable and he was grateful but still illogically angry. “Eh, I can’t expect moral courage from you. You’re a spineless coward who lets his father make all his decisions.” Felix dropped all pretense of being nice and polite.

His cousin tried to defend his parent. “Father’s very protective of me. He’s just trying to-”

“Control a company asset, the face of his company,” Felix cut him off. “You know, I can excuse some of that spineless behavior for now. You’ve always been the perfect son in public, bending over backwards for a scrap of affection.” He glowered at Adrien. “Okay, so you can’t go against your father because you’re a minor and you’re too cowardly to threaten to go to the press and expose him for the horrible parent he is.” The model opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. 

“But you’re almost fifteen, Adrien,” Felix sighed. “Before you know it you’ll be eighteen and your father won’t be able to order you around any more. You’ll inherit your trust fund from our grandparents so you won’t need his support any more. What will be your excuse then?”

The model just sat there, looking stricken and attacked. Felix didn’t have the inclination nor energy to spare the precious sunshine’s feelings.

“I’m surprised you came over at all, Adrien.” The blond looked away from the model. “I mean, hey, you’ve done such a  _ great  _ job ignoring me and Mom’s suffering as we watched Dad die. I know your father wouldn’t have let you come to the funeral but you couldn’t have called, or texted, or made me a  _ touching video letter _ ? “ He shot to his feel because he couldn’t stand being so close to the idiot. “Did you mean it when you said I could call if I needed you?”

The model stood as well, finally showing some genuine emotion. “Did  _ you  _ mean it when you said I was lucky to have you, or was that another magic trick too?”

Felix took a few steps away from the couch but Adrien followed him. “Look, I get it! You lost your dad and that sucks. I’ve been there. And the way he...died...that’s the worst. I’m sorry you went through all the stuff you did this last year but it’s not my fault! I’m not your enemy.”

“But...you’re not really on my side either, are you?” Felix was actually glad he didn’t have to pretend around Adrien for once. “Aunt Emelie was great and I’m sorry she’s gone. Honestly. I miss her too.” His face hardened. “But you’ve been so self-absorbed in your own grief you didn’t notice the pain of anyone around you. You want to know why we didn’t call on Christmas? Maybe it’s because we spent the Holidays watching  _ my dad  _ grow weaker while the doctors made excuses! You were in London for the royal wedding but couldn’t even spare us an hour of your time?”

The words were coming out fast and solid like rocks and for once he wasn’t going to censor himself. Every blow hit their target and he was cruelly glad to see his oh-so perfect cousin flinch. He could have stopped himself or eased up but he didn’t care enough about his almost-twin’s feelings enough to try.

It was time to make things worse. “You were the  _ one  _ person I know who could possibly know what I was going through and you left me  _ alone _ !” That still hurt, despite all his emotional walls; abandoned at the lowest point of his life by his former favorite cousin, the person he thought understood him almost as well as his parents. They’d shared so much, but those days were gone and Felix wasn’t even sure he wanted them back.

“Yes, I was mean to your friends and hurt their feelings, which they didn’t deserve. At least you have friends, and they seem to mean more to you than I do any more.” The blond sighed. This conversation was beginning to chafe. “Maybe then it’s best we-”

“I’m sorry.”

The blond looked at his cousin, surprise written all over his face.

The model’s eyes were glassy with tears and Felix had an uncomfortable moment where felt he’d just bullied a kitten. The model turned towards him, contrite and sorrowful.

“There’s no excuse for me not at least sending you a text or a video message after your dad died. I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch after Mom disappeared and your dad got sick. I...could have used someone to talk to when that happened. I bet you could have too. Someone who knew what I was going through and could help me figure things out.”

The blond opened his mouth to ask if confession time was over but the model continued.

“I know...I let Father control my life too much. But he worries. He acts as if he turns his back on me for a moment, I’ll disappear forever, just like Mom.”

“But he doesn’t look like he spends a lot of time with you,” Felix found himself saying. “When Mom and I went to your house he acted like he couldn’t get back to work fast enough.”

“I know,” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “You know, I get why he does it; it’s as if he thinks if he buries himself in work, he won’t have to think about how much he misses Mom.” The model’s eyes were empathetic. “But it’s lonely, you know? He’s changed so much after Mom disappeared. He’s so cold, like he’s hiding all his emotions from me. No matter what I do to please him, nothing I can do will make him happy.”

_ Of course it won’t you poor deluded fool. Uncle is an emotionally unavailable robot. Only Aunt Emelie could make him human.  _ “Mom’s changed after Dad died too,” the blond said aloud., “sure, she pretends pretty well around people who don’t know her but I can tell.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling the blind idiot anything but enjoyed getting a few things off his chest. “She looks so sad when she thinks no one can see her. Sometimes I think she forgets I can. She still cries at night, of course.”

Adrien wiped his eyes. “I’m so sorry. Aunt Amalie is one of the strongest people I know. Losing her husband and her sister...but she still finds time to mentor Marinette.”

Felix smiled, small but fond. Mom’s amazing. Believe or not, Marinette’s been good for her. She even calls her ‘my  _ protege _ ”.

The model’s smile was wider but just as fond. “I’m glad Marinette’s in such good hands!”

Adrien was hugging Felix before he could stop his overeager near-twin. Somehow, it didn’t feel as intrusive or unwanted as it had a few months ago. It was almost pleasant.

Not so pleasant he wanted to continue it and he pulled away, ignoring the hurt look his cousin gave him. 

“Um, good talk,” he said awkwardly and wondered if his cousin’s social ineptness was rubbing off on him.

Adrien nodded. “I’m glad we could clear the air, a least a little bit.” He smiled and then turned serious. “I know we can’t pretend the past year didn’t happen. All I can do is tell you how sorry I am and try to be better in the future.”

“Yeah, me too,” Felix agreed. He didn’t  _ hate  _ Adrien but…

“I’m still angry at you.”

He received a tiny hint of a smile. “That’s fair.”

“However…” he couldn’t believe what he was about to say, “if you wanted to come over, just you, once in awhile to hang out...I would be okay with that.”

Adrien beamed and tried to go for another hug when they heard the door open and female voices could be heard.

“I was thinking we could surprise Felix with a home theatre! We’ll have theatre seating and a popcorn machine and a snack bar!”

“Great idea, Amalie. What about a cooler for drinks? Also a digital projector and maybe some subscriptions to streaming services.”

Felix looked at his cousin. “I say we sneak into my room and act surprised when they come to find us.”

“Good idea.”

*****

It wasn’t until hours later (Both Adrien and Marinette insisted on teaching him how to play Ultimate Mecha Strike.) Felix realized he hadn’t give his cousin a straight answer about his personal plans for the young designer. He grinned to himself. A magician’s greatest talent was misdirection after all.

  
  



	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix gets a cooking lesson, gets invited to a Dupain-Cheng family dinner, and comes to a realization.

Felix paused and looked at the small building dubiously. “Why do I get the feeling you’re doing this to hurt me?”

“Because you’re allergic to fun and new experiences scare you,” Marinette snarked back.

“I think Mom and I have been a bad influence on you,” he muttered to himself.

The young designer had commanded him at the ungodly hour of ten a.m. on a Saturday to accompany her to her family’s bakery for a “cooking lesson”. His mother had encouraged the girl in her insanity by declaring, “Many ladies like it when a gentleman makes an effort to cook,” and cheerfully shoved him out the door.

Marinette yanked him into the bakery past curious customers and towards a petite dark haired woman in a  _ qipao _ and dark purple slacks. She looked surprised at first then beamed at him. “You must be Felix,” she told him, “Marinette tells us you and your mother just moved to Paris. How do you like living here so far?”

“It’s...different,” he replied, polite but honest. He gave her a small bow. “Thank you for having me over, Mme. Dupain-Cheng.”

She laughed and patted his shoulder. “Please, dear, don’t call me Mme. Dupain-Cheng. All of my daughter’s friends call me Sabine.”

“We’re...friends?” Felix whispered to Marinette.

“If you’d like to be,” she whispered back with a smile.

He felt himself relax just a bit.  _ Friends _ , she’d said. They could be friends. 

He debated with himself whether or not they were really friends besides the business arrangement they had. And, if he were honest with himself, did he want to be friends with her?

_ Yes. Yes I do. _

Something had been eating him up since he had received the invitation and now more than ever it made itself heard. So lost in his thoughts and guilt, he didn't notice until it was too late and was hit by a train.

The train turned out to be a colossal man in blue who hugged him so hard his spine was realigned.

The man put him back on the ground with a bone-jarring jolt. “Felix, right? Marinette’s new friend. Welcome to our bakery, young man! You’re going to love learning how to cook!”

The blond found himself offering the man his hand. “Pleased to meet you...M. Dupain I presume?”

“Tom,” the baker corrected. “Just plain old Tom is fine. We don’t stand on ceremony here.” A huge paw the size of his head landed on his shoulder. “Tell me, ever tried  _ boeuf carotte _ before?”

Felix shook his head. “No...Tom….”

The man laughed and guided him to the kitchen with surprising gentleness. “Well, time to learn how to make it, because that’s going to be our lunch!”

*****

“Now, son, you should slice the onions and chop the shallots, not the reverse,” Tom’s tone was gentle but his student thought he detected a current of impatience.

“Right. Sorry, Tom,” Felix apologized and the baker placed fresh vegetables in front of him.

This was more nerve-wracking than he’d expected. The only time he’d ever wielded a knife was to cut meat and this was a new experience for him. It didn’t help that his instructor was nearly four times his size and could crush him with one hand.

“Dad, I think you’re making him nervous,” Marinette smoothly intervened and carefully took the knife out of Felix’s hands. “I’ll show him what to do while you get back to baking if you like.”

“Great idea, sweetie!” Tom gave the boy a pat that nearly knocked him down. “I’ll let you kids get to it.” The giant man turned away and began preparing dough for baguettes.

The girl gave the blond a little wink and said, “Dad can be a little over the top if you’re not used to him, but he means well.”

Felix sighed. “If you say so.”

This really shouldn’t have been this difficult. All he had to do was prepare a few simple ingredients for cooking. He was just...out of his element.

“Your father is very good at what he does. He makes it sound so easy,” he groaned in frustration as the girl chopped onions in half and prepared to slice them.

The girl gave him an understanding smile. “You’re not used to having to learn anything from scratch, huh?”

Really, it was as if she was learning to read his mind. “You could say that.”

She motioned for him to stand aside. “Look...keep the tip of the blade still while you slice. That’ll help keep your cuts steady and even.”

“Ah,” he replied, “like a fulcrum.”

“If you say so,” Marinette finished slicing the onion and then gave him back the knife. “Let’s see how you do now.”

With the raven haired girl’s help he easily finished the onions and started on the carrots. “Ah, much easier now.”

“With anything else, it’s practice.”

“And fine motor control doesn’t hurt,” Felix said as he finely chopped shallots

“Nope!” she laughed and agreed. She looked at the piles of neatly sliced and chopped vegetables before him. “If the family business doesn’t work out, you could always find work as a sous chef.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need a Plan B,” he told her sourly as she brought out a separate cutting board for the meat.

“Next, you need to cube the beef. I’ll put the pot on the stove and put in the oil to heat. Then I’ll wash the herbs. Do you mind putting the meat and onions in the pot once the oil’s hot?”

“Not at all.”

“Good, because I need to get the white wine and tomato paste next.”

Felix added onions and beef to the pot, Marinette handed him a large wooden spoon to stir with. Once the meat was brown and the onions softened he added ingredients as directed; flour, tomato paste, water and a little white wine to deglaze the pot. The girl smiled and added the herbs and garlic before reducing the heat and letting the stew simmer. She set the timer on the stove and stepped back.

“We have an hour before we add the shallots and carrots,” she told him. “You wanna talk in the meantime?” 

He raised a brow. “About what?”

The girl shrugged. “Anything you like. Or...we could just stand around silently if you prefer.”

He appreciated the fact she didn’t make decisions for him and gave him choices. He was out of his comfort zone but she and to a lesser extent her parents made him feel welcome and tried to keep him engaged.

Their home was small without being cramped and her parents clearly loved her and each other. He wanted to scoff at them for finding happiness in such an ordinary life but their contentment reminded him of his own family before his father’s illness. He had to blink away the nostalgia. Or perhaps that was the onion fumes.

Felix decided to break the silence. “So...when you’re not at school, baking at home, or designing, what do you like to do?” She looked at him and he shrugged. “I take karate, but you know that. I also play chess…”

“I’ve always wanted to learn chess,” Marinette told him. “I like strategy and tactics.”

This surprised him, “and I’m pretty good at magic tricks.”

This also got her attention. “Oh? Can you show me one?”

He reached behind her left ear and pulled out a coin. Then he reached behind her right ear and pulled out another coin. She applauded and he bowed. “Sorry I don’t have any cards with me or I could show you some other tricks.”

“Maybe next time,” she smiled at him and he tried not to enjoy it too much. She was only being polite to her guest.

_ Her friend. _

“I play basketball too,” he told her to keep the conversation going. Really, it shouldn’t be this hard. He’d conversed with famous actors since he could talk. He had martial arts lessons with the children of Prime Ministers. Yet with her he struggled.

Why?

_ Because I’m out of my comfort zone. I’m in her territory, not mine. _

_ Because it matters what she thinks of you now. _

_ I want her to like me. _

“You know, I remember when I first started to learn how to cook,” Marinette said suddenly. She turned and looked at him after checking the pot on the stove. “It’s harder than baking because once you put something in the oven you don’t have to keep checking on it. Unless it’s souffle.”

Felix nodded to show he was listening. “What was it?”

“French onion soup,” she giggled with embarrassment. “ I was about eight. It’s supposed to be the easiest thing to learn. It’s mostly just onions, broth and cheese, right?” She blushed at the memory.

He couldn’t help smirking. “So, how much of the kitchen did you set on fire?”

“Just the stove! Kinda,” she wrung her hands. “Mom was terrified I’d burned myself and Dad was so scared and angry he wouldn’t let me step foot in the kitchen for months,” she grinned. “The fire department thought it was a little funny, but they got free macarons, so they might have been biased.”

Felix laughed at the idea of a tiny Marinette standing on a chair trying to cook. She joined him in laughter just as the timer on the stove dinged. Marinette stirred the pot and added the shallots and carrots. “Just another hour and we can eat.”

Oh, that’s all he needed. Having a meal with Marinette and her tiny but perfect family, being treated like a trusted friend when he’d done little if anything to deserve it.

The blond began to back out of the kitchen. “I appreciate the lesson, really, but you don’t have to-”

“And just where do you think you’re going, young man?” 

He stopped and turned around to look at Sabine. “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your Saturday, so I was just going to go back home and-”

“Without eating?” she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

He shrugged. “I’m...sure I can grab something once I get home. You don’t have to feed me…”

To Felix's surprise Sabine turned from a gentle mother and hostess to a steely-eyed  _ sifu. _ "This is my home and my bakery, young man. You walk in the door..." she glanced from the front entrance and back to him, "...you're mine."

He gulped and looked back at Marinette, who nodded frantically at him. “Well, with an invitation like that, how can I refuse?”

“Wonderful!” Sabine was all smiles again. “Why don’t we invite your mother to join us?”

_ Ah, an ally _ . “I don’t see why not.”

*****

“And anyway, that was Mari’s first day of kindergarten,” Sabine was laughing with Amalie. “Very nearly her last too! Poor girl was so embarrassed she spent an hour trying to convince us to move to China!”

The blonde woman laughed at wiped her eyes. “That’s hysterical! Let me tell you about the time my Felix nearly got a famous Chinese actor deported because he thought the man was trying to kidnap him! English was the man’s third language after all! Fortunately my husband was able to sort things out. We were very lucky the man had a good sense of humor.”

And so it went, back and forth, humiliating childhood anecdote for demeaning primary school story. The adults were having a very good time and got along well for their first meeting. The teens sunk lower in their chairs and wondered why the earth never opened up and swallowed them when they really needed it to.

“Let’s go to my room while they’re distracted,” Marinette whispered to Felix.

“Sounds good to me,” he said and they snuck out of their seats and up the stairs to Marinette’s room.

*****

“What do you think?”

“Very...pink.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, I’ve been redecorating lately. I might repaint the walls soon.”

Felix rolled his eyes at her lack of maturity and looked around the room. “I like the loft bed.”

“Me too. It maximizes the space I have.”

“Good idea. Yours?”

“Yep.”

Most of her walls were bare except for a large poster of Jagged Stone and a smaller one for that band some of her classmates were in, Kitty Section. He saw discolored areas on the walls where pictures were hung once but taken down.

“You should consider decorating your room with some of your designs,” he told her. “Especially the ones for the gala. They’d look lovely framed.”

“Hey, good idea,” she pointed to the chaise. “Please, have a seat,” she sat at her desk.

They looked at each other with chagrined smiles. “Sorry my parents are so...enthusiastic with their storytelling,” she said.

“No worse than my mom,” he replied. “It has to be a parent thing. I’m glad she loves me so much, otherwise I’d have to worry about future blackmailing opportunities.”

She chuckled. “I wouldn’t trade them, even as embarrassing as they are. They love me.”

“I feel the same way about Mom.”

They were silent for a few minutes but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Felix allowed himself to relax. With Marinette he didn’t feel as if he were constantly being watched or judged. When she looked at him she saw  _ him _ and not his cousin. He was sure her parents had noticed the family resemblance but neither commented on it and he was grateful. 

_ Huh. A few months ago I might have looked down on them as lower class. Maybe  _ **_I’m_ ** _ the one being influenced. _

“Hey, Felix?” the girl said after fifteen minutes of silence, “can we talk about something?”

He raised a brow. “About what?”

She sighed. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about for weeks now and...well…” she played with her hair. “Usually I’d talk to Alya or my mom about this but Mom’s busy and Alya and I,” her sigh was melancholy. “We’re not exactly as close as we used to be.”

He was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable and he frowned. “This isn’t...girl things, is it? Because I doubt I’m qualified to discuss your uterus or-”

“No! Nothing like that!” She reddened and threw a drawing pencil at him. “Why would you ask that? No! I mean...my feelings about...stuff…”

Felix’s cheeks felt warm. “Some people would tell you I’m not qualified to talk about feelings because I don’t have any.”

“Too bad! Friendship rule number four: Friends talk about feelings,” she glared at him and said mockingly, “and don’t give me that ‘guys don’t talk about their feelings’ crud, because I know better.”

“And...you want to talk to me about your feelings because we’re friends?” he asked.

She nodded. “And if you need me to, I’ll listen to you. “It’s not like you have to if you don’t want to!” She reassured him, “but if you want or need to listen...no one would know but us. Promise.”

Her smile was warm and broad and made him feel...it made him feel. That was dangerous. 

He gave her a small nod. “I think you said as much once. We’ll see,” he told her.

Marinette looked disappointed but continued. “Remember when we talked about...my classmates? How they took so much from me and I let them? How I could forgive but didn’t have to forget?”

Felix nodded again. “I have near-perfect recall, so yes.”

She put her tiny little fists on her hips and glared at him. “Good for you. Well…” she played with her hair, a sure sign she was nervous and hesitant. “I thought...if I left them alone for a little while, they’d realize what they’d done and try to make up for it.” She sighed. “Especially with Lila gone and class settling down to well, normal.”

She drooped a little, a sure sign something was weighing her down. He marveled at how quickly he’d picked up her nonverbal communication cues.

“I’d hoped they’d grow up a little, I mean, I shouldn’t have to guide them through all of their life lessons, I’m not a teacher after all.” She made air quotes with her fingers. “I shouldn’t have to ‘be a good example’ for everyone for the rest of my life, right?”

“Right,” he agreed. He still wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

Marinette leaned back and made slow lazy circles in her desk chair. “I’m not sure how to put this, so bear with me.” She took a deep breath and began.

“I’m...thinking about reaching out to a few of my fr-I mean classmates,” she told him. He opened his mouth to ask a question and she cut him off, “I know what you’re going to say! And you’re right...they haven’t earned this…” she bit her lip.

Felix took her rambling sentence fragments and pieced them into a coherent thought. “You want to reconcile with them. Not because they’ve done anything to deserve it,” he thought about what she was trying to say, “but because you  _ need  _ to.” She was so sweet. He knew he should find it cloying but he just found it adorable despite himself. He smiled at her. “You’re incapable of holding a grudge against anyone who isn’t actively out to get you, aren’t you?”

She nodded and looked at him with those wide blue eyes. So innocent, so trusting. “What should I do?”

It warmed him that she trusted him enough to ask his opinion on something so important to her. He knew it was partly because he’d done everything he could to isolate her from her classmates; taking advantage of the division caused by Lila Rossi to get Marinette all to himself.

But...could part of it be because they’d spent so much time together? He’d shared the pain of his father’s passing, she’d designed for him and his mother and shared embarrassing stories. Friendship via proximity

It occurred to him she was teetering on the edge. He could encourage her to mend her relationships with her “friends”. The same friends who were guilty of a passive sort of evil towards her. Or, he could smash any nascent bridges she was rebuilding. He would only have to share her warmth with Adrien and that girlfriend of his. It would be easy for him to do.

He couldn’t do it

Felix couldn’t betray the fragile trust and...friendship he had with her. It’d taken him months to build a rapport with her. He tried to tell himself it was for the good of the company and his family. His manipulations would have long term benefits for everyone, even Marinette.

_ She’d called him  _ **_her friend._ **

_ If you want to be, she’d told him. _

He did. He wanted it very very much, even more than snatching her away from the Agrestes or heaven help him, building up the family business.

Felix shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I think that’s something you need to decide for yourself.”

She looked confused but nodded. “You’re probably right.”

He wouldn’t win her by underhanded means but he wouldn’t hand her back to those idiots either.

They were quiet again until he asked, “want to learn the coin trick?”

She grinned. “Yes! How would you like to learn how to pick locks?”

He must have looked surprised because she laughed and looked pleased with herself. “I have all sorts of hidden skills.”

He found himself smiling back and took out a coin. “First thing you want to do is place this between your ring and middle finger. Curl them slightly to hide the coin…”

  
  


*****

After lunch the Graham de Vanilys parted with cheerful goodbyes and a bag of pastries.

Felix was quiet on the way home. 

“Dearest, what’s bothering you?”

He started because he was so lost in thought he had forgotten he wasn’t alone. “Mother, I think I’ve made a mistake.”

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Son, you done goofed


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Amelie discuss the fact he's caught feelings from Marinette. She tells him a story about the wrong way to pursue a relationship.

Neither Felix nor his mother spoke another word the rest of the way home. Once they were in Amalie’s sitting room she gave her son a firm hug and poured them both some tea before sitting down beside him. “Now, dearest,” she began, “tell Mummy all about what’s bothering you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. His mother had been the closest thing he’d ever had to best friend. Except perhaps for Adrien, and now Marinette…

_ Marinette. _

He took a deep breath and began to speak. “Mom, I want to call off the plan.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “And what plan would that be, dear?”

“The Marinette plan. The one where we manipulate her into working for us.” His tie was choking him and he loosened it. “The one where we...um... _ groom  _ her into becoming my wife one day.”

He could feel his cheeks warm and he couldn’t look his mother in the eye. Their scheme sounded idiotic when he discussed it out loud, some vaudeville scheme his great-grandfather might have filmed in the 1920s. 

“Now that I’ve gotten to know Marinette as a person, I’ve come to...like her. Care about her opinions and feelings.”

It was disgusting to think he’d “caught feelings” from his mark like some teen melodrama. She’d also imparted some of her morale code and it galled him to think about what he was doing to her was...wrong.

Felix cleared his throat. “I won’t lie and say I don’t want Marinette...working for us but I want her to decide for herself because-”

_ She called me her friend. _

_ I don’t want to win her like that. I want her to  _ **_choose_ ** _ me.  _

“Very well.”

“And since she now considers me her friend we can nurse our relationship organically and...wait.” He stared at his mother. “You’re okay with this?”

Amalie shrugged. “You’re right, darling. Marinette is a human being, not a prize. This sort of thing would just hurt us all in the long run and...your first friend!” He blinked in surprise as she clasped her hands together in delight. “She’s wonderful and I’m so happy for you!” She grinned at his surprise.

“But...Mom...I thought you wanted…”

“A  _ protege  _ and future daughter-in-law in one person? I still do.” She brushed an imaginary piece of lint off her skirt. “But more than anything I want you happy, dear. And if being friends with Marinette gets us what we want without anyone getting hurt, so be it.” She sighed. “I suppose I was too caught up with developing her talents that I forgot to see her as a person and not a commodity.” She ruffled his hair. “And you’ve been _ so _ much happier with her around, so open. You smile more around her, you share your feelings, it’s been  _ wonderful _ to watch.” Her smile turned a bit wistful as she smoothed his hair back into place. “You’d think I’d learned my lesson with your father.”

Felix’s jaw dropped. “You mean, you manipulated Dad into-”

Amalie’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. “At first, yes, although I’m ashamed to admit it after the fact.” She sighed and continued.

“Aunt Emelie and I competed quite a bit growing up. First, our parent’s attention, then clothes, and finally boys.” She grinned when she saw she had her son’s full attention.

“Geralt was initially interested in Emelie. As usual,” she rolled her eyes. “She was naturally sweet and kind, she thrived on the spotlight. I...well...it took me a long time to be comfortable in the public eye, even growing up in a show biz family, you could say.” She idly played with her hair.

“Emelie wasn’t interested, thank goodness and told him so. She’d already met Gabriel by then but that man was oblivious for the longest time!” She cleared her throat, “anyway, I was determined to win your father, any way I could.” She looked sad and guilty but continued.

“I studied him, read everything I could about how to attract a man. I wore the most flattering clothes and colors around him. I faked an interest in his hobbies. I always looked into his eyes and touched his arm when we talked.” Amalie laughed again. “I shared my hopes, fears, and vulnerabilities with him in an attempt to create an emotional rapport.”

This conversation made Felix uncomfortable and he tried to stop her. He was strongly reminded of his recent behavior towards Marinette. “Mom, you don’t-”

“No. Let me finish, sweetheart,” his mother was uncharacteristically stern.

“Geralt was...a stoic man but also very perceptive. He sat me down and told me, ‘You don’t have to do what you’re doing, Amalie. Don’t put up an act around me. You’re enough on your own.’ ”

“He saw through you?” Felix asked.

She nodded. “The whole time. He let it continue for so long because he thought eventually I’d realize what I was doing was manipulative and underhanded but I didn’t, not until he pointed it out.” Her shoulders slumped. “ I nearly lost your father’s love entirely. He suggested we take a break from each other for a year. ‘Grow up a little’ were the words he used.”

Amalie hugged her son. “I was very lucky he gave me another chance. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”

“That would be a shame,” he agreed.

She kissed his forehead. “Indeed. And I’m sorry. You’re so  _ good  _ at getting what you want and I was having fun going along with the plan. But you’re right. Marinette’s a good person who deserves better, not like Gabriel Agreste.” She made a disgusted face. “I love Adrien, truly, but that man is a git.”

They shared a laugh and she smiled fondly down at her child. “The risk of manipulating Marinette to get our way is too great. I’d rather keep her as your friend and a possible future asset.” Amalie put her head on her son’s shoulder. “But you two would make beautiful children.”

Felix was sure his face was red with embarrassment. “Mom…”

“Oh, let your mother dream.”

They sat in companionable silence and then Felix said, “There’s something else I need to discuss with you. It’s also about Marinette.”

Amalie gave her son a knowing smile.  _ Love confession! Love confession!  _ “Go on, dearest.”

He told himself he would not fall in the “boys don’t share their emotions” trap, even if he’d already fallen in the “sentimentality” trap where the young designer was concerned. “She-she said we were friends when she talked about me to her parents. ‘If I wanted to be’ she told me.”

His mother squeezed his hand but didn’t interrupt. “I’ve never had a friend before. Not a real one anyway.” He thought of all the kids who only played with him because their parents worked for the studio or the classmates he couldn’t talk to without insulting. Accidentally or otherwise.

He huffed as he struggled to find the right words, something he’d rarely done before. “I don’t even know how it happened; what I did that made her like me. Maybe she pities me but doesn’t  _ feel  _ like pity. I enjoy her company. I like her enthusiasm when she talks about her future in designing. It feels like she takes an interest in things I like, even shares a few that intrigue her.”

Felix sensed his mother’s gaze on him and continued. “I didn’t mean to become attached. Company asset and all. But it feels like she’s...infected me with feelings. I’m even beginning to understand her morals, even if I don’t always share them.”

“I feel...overwhelmed. All of these new emotions are coursing through me and I don’t know how to process them because I’ve never felt them before. Part of me wants to resent her for making me feel things, for seeing her as a person and not an object I can use. I want to impress her, but not with tricks. Just with...my natural talents, my intelligence.”

“Do you feel...protective towards her? Territorial, perhaps?” his mother asked.

He nodded. “Every time she’s told me about the classmates who stood by and let her get bullied by Chloe I feel enraged. She’s mentioned that Italian girl stealing all her friends and I wanted to console her even as I wanted to say ‘good riddance’. Did you know she used to have a crush on Adrien?” His mother shook her head. He sighed.

“Yes, my cousin is a good-looking model and...nice. She told me his kindness was what drew her to him. But he’s also spineless, reluctant to get involved in conflict and oblivious to anyone’s feelings but his own.” He raised his hand in the air and then dropped them. “I don’t know what she saw in him! But...he’s dating that Kagami girl and Marinette even helped with their first date. I can’t imagine being so selfless, if I were in her situation but that’s just the way she is.” He rubbed his forehead. “Sometimes that girl seems too good to be true.”

“But she has her own flaws and weaknesses,” Amelie noted.

“True.” he sighed. “She takes on too much work and never leaves enough time for herself. She doesn’t assert herself as much as she should. She can stand up to bullies but no so much her friends. That girl is wonderfully talented but lacks confidence. If I weren’t so civilized I’d love to punch anyone and everyone who’s ever made her not feel her own worth.”

Felix gave his mother a weak little smile. “Pathetic, isn’t it? I barely know Marinette Dupain-Cheng and she’s already so important to me.”

Amalie’s hands flew to her mouth, eyes bright. “Oh, my sweet, clever boy. It’s not pathetic at all!” She hugged her son close, refusing to let him go even as he wriggled in her arms.

Oh, her poor dear magician, her prodigy. He was so perceptive about other people’s wants and goals but failed to notice his own. Did he really have no idea what he felt for that girl.  _ She’d  _ noticed, of course. It was the night of the Gala where he’d stopped seeing Marinette as a commodity or goal and started to look at her as a person. She was beginning to notice signs her son had developed a crush on the young designer. Her heart would have been leaping for joy if she knew how the girl felt about her son.

Friendship was wonderful and a worthy goal in its own right but alas, she was a romantic, even as she hoped her  _ protege _ wouldn’t break her son’s heart.

Her crafty, clever boy looked uncertain, almost afraid. All of these new emotions must be sending him into turmoil; the joy of finally having a friend coupled with the surprise of knowing he was also attracted to said friend.

“Felix.”

He lifted his head to look at her. “Yes?”

She didn’t want to say this but she had to. “Are you in love with Marinette?”

He didn’t answer her at first, then, “I don’t know.”

She finally let him go and looked at her only child. “What do you mean?”

Felix’s mind went blank for a moment as he tried to get his thoughts in order. “She’s beautiful and sweet so what I’m feeling could be just hormones. But I’ve been surrounded by hot actresses all my life without having this kind of reaction.”

“True,” Amalie smiled.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe it’s just I’m grateful to finally have a friend. Someone who’s seen the crappy parts of me but still talks to me. She knows Adrien but still treats me like I’m my own person and doesn’t act like she sees him every time she looks at me.” He looked at his mother. “I can’t remember the last time that’s happened.”

Her heart broke for her son but he continued “I want to be around her as much as I can. I don’t want to share her with anyone, not even you at times.” He bit his lip. “That’s not very healthy.”

“No,” his mother confirmed.

“I like seeing her happy and I miss her when she’s not around but I don’t feel like I  _ have  _ to be around her 24/7 to be happy. If she walked out of our lives tomorrow it would be devastating at first but I could live with it. I won’t be gutted if I did something stupid and say...pledged my devotion to her or some such shite and she rejected me. As long as she didn’t laugh in my face.” He remembered Valentine’s Day in primary school. That wasn’t happening again.

Amalie’s face became thoughtful and serious. “So…?”

“So...what should I do? If anything?” 

Her boy was confused and she wished she could make it easier on him. “So, you have a very important question you need to ask yourself.”

He raised a brow. “And that is?” He suspected he knew the answer but wanted his mother to say it.

She grinned. “What, if anything, are you going to tell Marinette?”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions.

Felix agonized for days over his feelings for Marinette; whether they were real, whether he should tell her, and what her reaction would be.

Anger or even derision he could take. If she laughed and thought he was joking, he’d laugh along with her. There was one reaction he dreaded.

Pity. 

The idea of her looking at him sadly with those expressive bluebell eyes was making him want to heave. Imagining her sweet voice telling him; “I’m sorry, I just don’t think of you that way,” was enough to make him pick at his breakfast.

Oh, that was just nonsensical. He was Felix Graham de Vanily, future president of Graham Films and had committed daylight robbery against Gabriel Agreste, the most paranoid man in Paris. Not some Medieval troubadour singing about his forbidden love for a young maiden betrothed to his lord.

The whole situation seemed like a bad script his father would have rejected.

He didn’t want to think of his father but he wished he could talk to him. Dad would have given him concise, logical advice not the abstract “search your feelings and you’ll know what to do” absurdity his mother told him. 

Felix hated this; he hated feeling uncertain, he didn’t know where he stood with Marinette, besides being her friend of course. Part of him wanted to storm over to her family bakery, bouquet in hand and tell her everything he felt. It should be easy, he’d never had a problem asserting himself but in this situation he couldn’t. The realization made him feel weak.

He wanted to be angry at her for making him _ feel _ , for the tenderness that invaded his cold heart when he was with her. That would be cowardly; she never flirted with him, never even went out of her way to gain his attention. She made him feel...like she could like him for himself. Not the facade of indifference he used to deal with the world, but  _ him.  _

_ You’re enough on your own. _

Somehow hearing his mother tell that story made him realize what he wanted to hear from Marinette, even more than “I love you”. That  _ he _ was enough. Not because she thought he was a pale imitation of Adrien, a substitution. That the unique, prickly Felix was better than a counterfeit Sunshine Boy.

He thought of writing her a letter. A genuine paper and ink letter, not an impersonal email. What would he even say? He began to write:

_ Dearest Marinette,  _

_ Our relationship might have begun with you hating me and me thinking you're beneath me but as I watched you cheer up my mom and snark at me I don't want to imagine my life without you in it. _

No.

He ripped it up, ashamed of himself for writing something so sappy. Something that showed his vulnerabilities.

Perhaps he shouldn’t be doing this at all, especially not this soon. They were barely friends and he could ruin the very new relationship between them by trying to date her. He needed to be patient, plan a strategy. “Woo her gently”, his grandfather would have said. 

Could he do that? Could he sit back and smile and listen to her talk about her problems while she coaxed him into sharing his? She’d offered several times and while it would be great to have someone to talk to about his father he didn’t want to risk crying in front of her. Again.

No, he should tell her soon. This week, perhaps. He would invite her over to his mansion for lunch and they would talk. And if she reacted well, he might ask her to a small film festival his family was sponsoring. Perhaps she’d like to tour the costume department and Graham Films.

No no no...he was getting way ahead of himself. Soon he’d be naming their children like his mother. (Sebastien Geralt was the superior name for their firstborn anyway,) and planning a life together. The costume designer and the CEO. They’d make an unstoppable team…

It wouldn’t do to become sentimental or get his hopes up. She could still reject him, even sever their friendship depending on how badly he mangled his “confession”.

_ Are you so sure she’ll reject you?  _ His inner voice told him.  _ You’re smart, you’re handsome and talented. Charming, when you put your mind to it. You already know she has a type… _

_ You won’t really win her like that  _ His conscious spoke up. It sounded suspiciously like his father.  _ Weren’t you listening to your mother’s story? She nearly lost the love of her life with trickery and pretense. She knows you, she’s getting to know the  _ **_real_ ** _ you and she still wants to be your friend. If she rejects you, don’t take it personally and go on with your damn life. _

_ What makes you think she could love you anyway?  _ This voice sounded like that smug jerk in the cat-themed costume.  _ You’re cold, you’re prickly and difficult to get along with. You sabotaged nearly every friendship she had, even though they were unworthy idiots. What makes you think you’re loveable at all?  _

Enough. This was counter-productive, not to mention a bit loopy to have conversations with the voices in one’s head. It would all be fine. Marinette would come over for lunch. They would talk. She would either make a decision on the spot or think it over and let him know. He was worrying over nothing and creating worst case scenarios for himself. Now, all he had to do was text Marinette and invite her over for lunch.

On a Saturday, four days from now. Plenty of time to plan. He would have their chef make a picnic basket and they’d dine on the deck. The meal would consist of a few of her favorites and a few of his…

Now all he had to do was decide what he was going to say. Oh, and invite her over. Fortunately she’d give him her number.

Bad Guy, Duh: Hey, do you have plans Saturday?

Duchess of Fashion: Not yet. Why?

Bad Guy, Duh: I’d like you to come over for lunch. There’s something I want to talk about.

Duchess of Fashion: That sounds ominous. Bad news?

Bad Guy, Duh: I hope not, but I need to talk to you about something in person.

Duchess of Fashion: Is noon okay with you?

Bad Guy, Duh: Perfect. See you then. Bring dessert.

Bad Guy, Duh: Please

Duchess of Fashion: Okay. Hey, is there any way I can convince you to change these chat names?

Bad Guy, Duh: No.

Duchess of Fashion: Thought not. See you Saturday.

*****

The weekend turned out to be utterly gorgeous; temperate and sunny. It made Felix hope the day would go well and he would have not just a friend but a sweetheart as well. He looked forward to introducing her as “my girlfriend” to her classmates and his peers.

The thought made him giddy and nervous and he squelched it for now. He had to decide on what to wear. His usual attire was a bit on the somber side and he didn’t want to frighten her off with formal wear…

“What about _ this _ ?”

He jumped as his mother reached past him and pulled a navy polo shirt and khaki slacks out of his closet.

“Mom? I didn’t hear you come in!” he told her.

Amalie laughed. “Clearly, dearest. You were so wrapped up in your ‘What do I wear?” dilemma you probably forgot about anything or any _ one  _ else.” She smiled as she placed the clothes on the bed. “This is a casual...I won’t call it a date...lunch with a friend. You want her to feel welcome and at ease. You also want to be comfortable. Plus darker colors bring out your eyes.” She ruffled his hair. “Try to relax. She won’t be here for another forty-five minutes.”

“Right.” Felix took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Mom…?”

He looked up at her and tried to ask her what was on his mind but his tongue froze and all he could do was stare at her helplessly. This was out of the realm of his usual experience and he hated feeling unsure.

As usual his mother always knew how to comfort him. “Darling, it’ll work out. One way or another, you’ll be alright.” She hugged him tightly. “You’ll see.”

The doorbell rang and Felix had to stop himself from panicking. “She’s early!”

Amalie laid a hand on his shoulder. “Not necessarily. You get dressed, I’ll see who it is.” She kissed him on the forehead. “Remember...you’ll be alright.”

*****

Mariette arrived at 11:50 am holding a box of macarons and smiling. The pink scalloped skirt and navy blouse she wore was new and very cute. She seemed genuinely glad to see him and followed him out to the deck.

“Your mom isn’t eating with us?” she asked.

“Uh...not this time. She’s going to a book club meeting with an old friend from  _ lycee _ .” He had to endure quite a bit of teasing to convince his mother to leave the house. “There’s still a few servants around so if we need anything we’ll be fine.”

_ Right, bring up the fact you have servants. Way to remind her you’re rich. _

She didn’t seem to notice his inner turmoil and sat down across him on the checkered tablecloth. “I have had a picnic since...it’s been awhile.”

He didn’t press her for details because it seemed like an unpleasant memory and he wanted her to be comfortable. “I tried to remember some of your favorites and wanted you to try mine.” He grinned at her. It was easier for him to smile at her now.

“Thank you,” she cleared her throat. “So, you had something you wanted to talk to me about?” 

He waved a hand. “After we eat. Our cook makes a great Shepherd’s Pie.”

*****

They ate and talked; he about his mother’s latest movie project, she about her new web page and all the internship offers she’d received. She was quick to assure him, “Your mom’s proposition is still my favorite.”

It was so easy to smile and relax around her.

He tried to hide his joy and nervousness around her by snarking about her ambitious design projects. She amused him by snarking back and he was pleased to see her confidence and know he had a hand in helping her learn to be so assertive.

After they’d finished off the strawberry tarts she’d brought Marinette sat back and looked at him expectantly. 

_ Well, I can’t put this off any longer.  _ Felix packed away the empty dishes in the picnic basket and moved a little closer to her. “Marinette, this is important to me, so I hope you’ll listen and not interrupt until I’m done. Please.”

Eyes wide, she nodded.

Felix dusted imaginary lint off his slacks and began to speak. “I know...you didn’t like me when we first met and I didn’t think much of you either.” She gave him a half-smirk and he continued. “But my mom was happier once you began designing for her, and she hadn’t been since Dad died.”

He clasped his hands together because he didn’t want to admit this next part. “I’ll be honest, at first I thought you were just a distraction for my mother’s grief and after that, a possible future company asset.” That sounded cold and calculating. “Your designs are incredibly creative!” he was quick to reassure her, “I have no interest in fashion beyond the necessity but even I can tell what you create is art.” That earned him a smile.

“Then...I got to know you beyond your design skill. You spent time with my mother, not because she was paying you but because the two of you had fun together. I believe you genuinely like her.” She nodded.

“And…” he tried not to fidget. “As I got to know you, I noticed things about you. You’re kind and generous to everyone, even me. You’re patient. How you’ve kept from punching Chloe all these years I’ll never know.” She giggled and covered her mouth.

The blond couldn’t help but smile. “I saw the way your ‘friends’ treated you and it made me angry on your behalf.” He looked at his hands. “I admit, part of my reasons were selfish but I couldn’t stand by and let you get taken advantage of by them. You deserve better than them. You deserve loyalty.”

He stopped, unsure of himself. She reached out and squeezed his hand, then let him go. He continued.

“Slowly I began to appreciate you and was glad to have you around. You  _ see _ me, the real me, not my mask, as it were. It’s been a long time since anyone outside my family made an effort to get to know the real me.” He was becoming sentimental and vulnerable in front of her. He decided he didn’t care.

“And just a little while ago you took me to your home so your father could give me a cooking lesson. Your parents made me feel welcome and invited me and my mother to lunch.” His eyes were beginning to dry out because he was staring at her so hard but he didn’t stop, couldn’t stop.

_ Just say it, you fool. _ “Marinette, I think…” he breathed deep. “I’m in love with you.”

Her face went blank and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “Sorry for just blurting it out like that but I’ve never done this before.” He felt exposed. This was terrifying! How come no one had ever told him telling someone how you felt was this nerve-wracking?”

“I love your creativity, your intelligence. I love how you empathize with others, even someone like me. You gave me a second chance and became my first friend. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone like you.”

She blinked and he couldn’t stop himself from talking. “Show business is incredibly competitive and the Graham de Vanily family has been pretty cut-throat.” He swallowed, remembering primary school. “I learned very young people would pretend to be my friend so they could use me. So I learned to be ruthless.”

He chuckled and looked at her. “And then you came along. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A baker’s daughter with raw talent and creativity. Someone who’d put in the work to be successful and not take advantage of her connections. You give so much and never expect anything in return.” She was blushing now and he probably was too but couldn’t stop talking.

“I don’t think you know how unique and special you are. You see me for who I am and still like me. That’s so amazing to me.”

Felix caressed Marinette’s hand and then leaned away from her. “That’s all I wanted to tell you.”

Neither of them spoke and the silence was grating on his nerves. He coughed. “So...do you...have anything to say? Anything at all?”

She closed her eyes and then looked at him. “All right. I guess it’s my turn to ask you not to speak until I’m done, all right?”

He nodded and she sighed and began to talk.

“Felix, you and your mom have been great to me. I’ve _ loved  _ designing for you both and I’d definitely considered working for you one day.” She looked deep into his eyes. “I’m glad I’ve been a positive influence on you and I’m very glad we’re friends. I’d even go as far as to say you’re becoming my new best friend.”

_ But. _

She took his hand in hers. “But I can’t return your feelings. Part of it has to do with Adrien. Not in the way you think!” She interjected before he could interrupt. “I’m still not completely over him and before I started a new relationship I’d have to be. Because I’d want the boy I dated to know I loved him with  _ all  _ of my heart and wasn’t pining over someone else.”

“But most of the reason? I don’t  _ want  _ to fall in love right now, with anyone. I mean, I became so infatuated with your cousin I had his pictures in my room, I knew his schedule, and I followed him everywhere I could! It was just...too much.” She shrugged. “I guess it was because he was my first real crush and I wasn’t prepared for how intense it would be.” The young designer sighed. “But I couldn’t even talk to him without babbling or making a fool out of myself. I think what I felt for him might have been...unhealthy.”

Felix could tell how much it hurt her to talk about this so he put aside his jealousy towards the oblivious idiot and nodded to show he was still listening.

“But that’s not all of it!” She let his hands go and began to gesture as she spoke. “I have so much going on right now! I have commissions and people wanting to mentor me, and school and my class rep responsibilities. Then there’s homework and...other things.” She looked so serious and intense. “I just have too much going on in my life to even _ think _ about romance right now.”

Marinette stopped and looked at him so he decided he was allowed to speak now. “So...you’re not actually rejecting me in particular, but romance in general?”

She nodded. “Something like that, yeah.”

_ I might still have a shot.  _ “So...in the future…?”

The girl shook her head, her gaze still full of that serious intensity. “I don’t want you to continue to be my friend in the hopes we might date someday.” She looked angry for a moment but it passed. She looked up at him again. “I want you to be my friend for all the reasons you talked about.We both need someone to confide in and be ourselves with. I want you to trust me with your problems and I want to know if you have my back when I need you.” Her eyes darkened and he was afraid he’d upset her. “I want you to be my new best friend, if you still want to be friends at all.”

She was so beautiful and so afraid she’d hurt him with her rejection. He wanted to feel angry but didn’t. Marinette had been honest about her feelings and considerate of his. He understood her reasoning.

The blond appreciated the fact she respected any future relationship by wanting to start with a clean slate. He could also understand the weight of responsibilities she was under because he also had a lot going on in his life. Perhaps he should seek out a grief counselor for him and his mom before pursuing girls.

Before he knew it he was leaning in towards her. She looked surprised and tensed as if preparing to run away from him. He realized even after she let him down gently he still wanted to kiss her.

The attempt at a kiss became a hug. “I still want to be friends,” he whispered. He felt her relax a bit in his arms. “Your friendship is incredibly important to me and I’m glad to have it. I’d be honored to be your best friend.”

She hugged him back tightly and the sensation almost made up for his bruised heart. She didn’t laugh at him or make fun or pity him. She wanted his friendship.

They were quiet as they held each other. He could smell baking spices as her silky hair tickled his neck. Finally he said:

“I don’t know anything about hugs,” he confessed. “Am I hugging too hard? Too long? What’s good hugging etiquette?”

She laughed and kissed his cheek as she pulled away. “That was about right. For me, anyway. Everyone’s different.” Now that their moment was over she looked embarrassed. “I should be going.”

He stood and helped her to her feet. “I’ve probably taken up enough of your time with my emotional baggage.”

Marinette smiled at him and he felt forgiven. “Hey, you handled it a lot better than…” she broke off.

He raised a brow. “...than who?”

She played with her hair. “I had a non-school friend who said he was in love with me. He kept trying to kiss me or hold my hand and wouldn’t listen when I said ‘no’ .”

_ Disrespectful git.  _ “So, what happened?”

The girl shrugged. “Eh, I think he got a girlfriend, so he forgot all about me.” She smiled. “Thanks for respecting my boundaries.”

“I’m a cold-hearted ice king but I have standards,” he smirked with a bit of his old condescension towards her, laughing when she made a face.

“Come on, Marinette. Let me walk my new best friend to the door.”

She reached the front entrance then stopped and looked back at him. “I’ll text you later, ok?”

“Ok, but less emojis this time.”

The young designer stuck her tongue out at him as she left. “Bye!”

Once she was out of sight he shut the door and slumped against it. Although his “love confession” hadn’t gone the way he wanted, he didn’t come out of it empty handed. Not only had he kept his friendship with Marinette, she had declared them to be “best friends.” That was no consolation prize; as cliche as it may seem, her friend was a prize worth having.

_ It’s enough, Marinette.  _ He thought to himself.  _ Your friendship alone is enough for now. _

*****

_ Six months later. _

“And while it’ll be _ years  _ before I can hire my dear Marinette full-time, the head of our costume department was very impressed with her during her internship, “ Amalie was telling the tablet Gabriel Agreste was talking from. “And aren’t these outfits she designed for us divine? Even Audrey Bourgeois was positively  _ green  _ with envy when she saw my gown. Honestly, Gabriel, I’m surprised you didn’t offer her an internship as soon as you saw that  _ darling  _ little derby she made for that school contest!”

“Yes, I can see now that was a mistake,” even over the wi-fi M. Agreste sounded annoyed. Kicking himself for not recognizing talent when it stared him in the face, no doubt. “Congratulations, Amalie, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Nathalie?”

“Of course, sir,” the usually severe woman had a slight smile on her face as she looked at her employer’s son. “ Don’t forget to be home by eleven, Adrien,” she told him and walked off.

“Hey, Adrien, doesn’t my best friend look amazing?”

The model looked at his cousin and his very good friend. Felix looked relaxed and happy, almost like he’d been years ago. Beside him Marinette looked like the princess his alter-ego called her.

“Always.”

Marinette grinned at him. “If you ever decide to give up modeling, I can hire you to do my PR.”

Adrien laughed. “That or Physics.”

“At least you have options,” Marinette smiled at Kagami. “That new dress is perfect on you.”

“I know,” Kagami did a graceful twirl then winked at the other girl. “It’s an MDC original. She’s spoiled me for nearly every other designer.”

The teens laughed together while Amalie and Gorilla trailed behind them. The two adults looked at each other and Amalie could almost swear the stoic man winked.

_ ***** _

_ Ten years later. _

_ Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! I’m Nadja Chamack and with today is our newest intern, Manon! _

**_Hi, Paris!_ **

_ The entertainment world today received a major upset as famous English movie studio Graham Films released a major blockbuster that not only broke box office records and slowed streaming services but is already generating awards buzz. The film stars mostly unknown actors and novice director but with a script written by Paris’ own Marc Anciel! Not only that but the lead costume designer was a dear friend, that up and coming Duchess of Fashion, Marinette Dupain-Cheng! _

_ The film was the brainchild of one Felix Graham de Vanily who at only twenty-five is Vice President of Film Development and this was a huge risk on his part. He’s a rising star the world is sure to be watching from now on. _

**_Plus it doesn’t hurt that he’s super hot._ **

_ Manon! _

**_I’m not trying to be disrespectful, Mom, but he is!_ **

_ Well, aside from that...he must be a very smart young man to come so far so quickly. _

**_Brainy is definitely the new hotness._ **

_ Well, anyway, when asked for comment on his achievement, M. Graham de Vanily said, “Although luck was certainly a factor in this film’s success, a great deal of careful planning went into it. The cast and crew are incredibly talented and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to showcase them to the world.” _

**_So M. Graham de Vanily is hot, smart_ _and_ _humble? I feel a little jealous of the woman who wins_ _his_ _heart._ **

_ You and half of Paris, Manon. Moving on to local politics- _

Felix set down his phone and looked over at his dinner companion. Marinette glowed in a rose colored gown of her own creation and grinned at him. Seeing her smile never failed to warm him. “Well, I guess if Nadja Chamack is talking about how great our movie is, it must be true. Thanks for persuading me to take a chance on Lahiffe and Rossi. It paid off. Literally.”

“Nino’s always wanted to be a director as well as a DJ,” she replied. “It wasn’t a stretch to hire him. Lila’s a surprisingly good actress.”

“Being taken down a peg was the best thing to happen to her,” he said. He took a sip of water. “Now if I decide to hire her for other projects I’ll have to keep her off her high horse.”

“Let’s hope she doesn’t win Best Actress.”

“Right.”

The server came by and refilled their wine glasses and took their empty plates. Marinette was looking at the dessert menu.

He raised his glass and smiled. “A toast. To success.”

She raised hers and hesitated. “I’d rather toast to over ten years of friendship.”

“Even better.”

She clinked her glass with his. “To ten years of being BFFs.”

“I’m not calling us that. Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

“Thank you.”

Marinette set her glass down and stared at him. “For what? My costume design? You already thanked me with that bonus. And the gift basket. And the car.”

“No, all that’s superficial.” He reached for her hand across the table. “Thanks for taking a chance to get to know me and liking me for myself. Even though I was a right bastard at fourteen.”

She hesitated as if she were about to argue with him and then said, “yeah, you kinda were.”

He frowned. “I love you too, Mari.”

The designer blew him a sarcastic kiss. “Right back at ya, Bestie.”

They shared a laugh and the raven haired woman grew thoughtful. “I ran into Luka last week.”

The blond snapped his fingers. “Musician, right? He and his band tour with Jagged Stone. He wrote the closing credits song for the movie.”

“Yeah,” his usually confident best friend twisted her napkin and for a moment he was reminded of the shy but fiery girl he’d met as a teenager. “He asked me out.”

He raised a brow. “And you said…?”

She raised her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. “I told him I’d think about it and get back to him. I was afraid it was too soon after...you know…”

“He Who Must Not Be Named?” Felix suggested.

Marinette furrowed her brows. “Did you just make a very dated Harry Potter reference?”

“I grew up in England, remember?” he grinned at her then sobered. “Do you want to go out with him?”

She nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”

“Then do it,” he gave her his best encouraging smile. “I remember you used to have a bit of a ‘healthy crush’ on him. If I recall he’s a good guy who always treated you like you deserve. If it makes you happy, go for it.”

Marinette pulled out her phone. “I’m going to text him right now. There’s a new band I wanted to check out. I saw one of their videos online and I think their style might be perfect for that sci-fi script Marc’s writing.”

“Hmmm. I’d go with you but I don’t want to intrude.”

“What about a double date?” She grinned when she saw the surprise on his face. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t have a great woman in mind for you. You’ll like her, I promise.”

The blond frowned. “You know I’m not comfortable going on dates with strangers.”

“She not a stranger,” the designer pulled up a picture of a stunning young woman in a red _qipao_. “She’s my cousin, Bridgette.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thanks to everyone who read this on Tumblr. This is the third story I've written about Felix. I'm sure Astruc will prove me wrong if canon!Felix shows up again but that's okay. I hope I did him justice to the fandom.
> 
> Please leave kudos or a comment, even if it's just "How could dare you?!"
> 
> Much love and appreciation,
> 
> Soap Lady


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